Rustenburg – A store manager and two staff members were arrested for allegedly planning and executing a fake business robbery at their shop in Bela Bela, Limpopo police said on Tuesday.
Spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said an assortment of clothing and other items were stolen during the staged robbery on Monday.
“The police received information that the local clothing shop at Chris Hani drive, Bela-Bela, has just been robbed by two unknown suspects. A snap intelligence-driven operation was activated to respond to the alleged business robbery. On arrival at the shop, they immediately commenced with the initial investigations, which revealed that two men entered the store at around 9.40 and pointed the staff members with a firearm, demanding their cellphones,” Brigadier Mojapelo said.
He said the two men took various clothing items and put them into big bags.
“The bags were then loaded into a motor vehicle which was later proved to be belonging to the store manager. They also took cash from the tills.
“A further probe that was conducted in the vicinity led to the recovery of the stolen items from the said motor vehicle and a pistol that turned out to be an air gun. The manager and two female staff members were immediately arrested and charged with theft and conspiracy to commit crime,” he said.
Limpopo provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe welcomed the arrests of the three.
“We take this moment to warn other people who might be planning to stage non-existent robberies that the police are capable of uncovering similar plans and bringing the perpetrators to book,” Lieutenant General Hadebe said in a statement.
The three, aged between 29 and 32, were expected to appear in Bela-Bela Magistrate’s Court soon. The search for the two men was continuing.