Pretoria – A 40-year-old man, who has been on the run for seven years, after he allegedly stole hardware products which he had been sent to deliver to clients, has been arrested after he went to a police station voluntarily.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said Thomas Ngcobo appeared before the Bethal Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday and he was remanded in custody.
“According to information at the police’s disposal, the suspect was supposed to make a hardware material delivery worth more than R20 000. It is alleged that the said material was redirected to another address without either the owner’s consent or knowledge,” said Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala.
“The suspect’s dirty tricks were uncovered a week later after the manager decided to check invoices. It was realised that two invoices were missing and other material had been delivered to wrong addresses.”
The matter was reported to police, and a case of theft was registered in September 2015 at Bethal SAPS.
“The suspect was unexpectedly nabbed on Monday, 15 August 2022 after he visited the Bethal SAPS to make enquiries about his application for police recruitment drive,” Mohlala said.
Provincial commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has welcomed Ngcobo’s arrest and warned wanted suspects who are on the run that the long arm of the law will get them.
“We are working tirelessly day and night, sticking to our mandate of creating a safe environment for all citizens. We cannot achieve that stage whilst other suspects are still roaming the streets and terrorising communities,” she said.
“It is just a matter of time before we bring them to justice.”
IOL