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The number of incidents of liquor looting during the closure continues to rise after the arrest of three men who broke into a bottle shop in Stellenbosch on Sunday morning.
According to police, three male suspects allegedly broke into the store after breaking a window and stealing an undisclosed amount of alcohol before fleeing in a vehicle.
“A local security company vehicle patrolling the area was singled out by a passerby who alerted guards to the robbery,” police spokesman Brigadier Novela Potelwa said in a statement.
“They distributed the information and drove in the direction the vehicle was alleged to have accelerated. Meanwhile, traffic officials operating a nearby roadblock saw the vehicle approaching and stopped it. “
READ | 21 arrested after 16 looted liquor stores in the Western Cape, Cele calls urgent meeting
Metro police at the barricade found the stolen alcohol in the vehicle and immediately arrested the suspects.
Potelwa said the suspects, 43, 33 and 29, are expected to appear in Stellenbosch magistrates’ court Tuesday on charges of theft and possession of stolen property.
“The integrated efforts of traffic officers and security guards are praised by SAPS management as the Province deals with a series of liquor store robberies.”
News24 previously reported that a police investigation led to an arrest after a truck carrying liquor from Paarl to Table Bay Harbor for export was hijacked on Thursday.
“The driver is alleged to have been kidnapped by suspects during a mechanical breakdown on the way to the port,” Western Cape police spokesman Colonel Andrè Traut said Sunday.
“The truck and trailer were later discovered at Mitchells Plain without the cargo.”
Investigations led to the arrest of a suspect in his thirties on Saturday.
READ | Blockade: two Cape Town police officers arrested for buying R4,000 worth of alcohol
Earlier Sunday, police confirmed that 21 suspects were arrested after 16 incidents of alleged looting in the Western Cape since the start of the shutdown. Two police officers have also been stopped for allegedly buying alcohol worth R4000.
In Mpumalanga, two police officers were arrested on Friday night for defeating the ends of justice.
According to police, officers were detained and three bakkies were found to have been illegally escorted, each loaded to the brim with alcohol.
“All three vehicles allegedly belong to a tavern owner who was also arrested with two other drivers for violating blocking regulations regarding the restriction of liquor movement,” said police spokesman Brigadier Mathapelo Peters.
Police Minister Bheki Cele issued a stern warning to those who violate the regulations, saying they would be dealt with decisively.
“The overall picture of crime since the closure of Covid-19 continues to reflect a decline, and therefore such incidents must be intercepted and those responsible arrested,” Cele said.
“Our law-abiding citizens must continue to work with law enforcement against criminals as together we ensure the survival of the human race against Covid-19.”
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