Cops left baffled after fearless thieves raided a police station

The recent theft of firearms and imitation weapons from the Mitchells Plain police station has raised serious concerns about the security of evidence and exhibits in criminal cases.

The incident, which occurred in November 2023, involved the disappearance of fifteen firearms and eight imitation weapons from the station’s SAP-13 storeroom.

The SAP-13 storeroom is supposed to be a secure facility where all exhibits and evidence used in criminal cases are stored.

However, it was discovered on 21 November that the weapons, which were meant to be sent for forensic testing at the laboratory, had vanished.

The crime is believed to have taken place over a period of six months.

Detective Constable Lubabalo Malongwe, a 30-year-old officer stationed at the Mitchells Plain police station, has been arrested in connection with the theft.

Colonel Andre Traut, the provincial police spokesperson, confirmed that the officer was apprehended three days after the firearms were discovered missing.

He stated, “The suspect has since been dismissed from SAPS and he is due back in Mitchells Plain Magistrates court on 2 February to face the charges against him.”

The incident has prompted the police’s Anti-Corruption unit to launch an investigation into the matter.

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