A Durban man has been arrested for allegedly stealing a dialysis machine worth more than R250,000 from a local hospital.
Police spokesperson Capt Nqobile Gwala said the 27-year-old man was a former employee of the hospital.
“It is alleged that on August 24 at midnight, the suspect had proceeded to a hospital where he removed a machine without permission.
“He thereafter pawned the machine for monetary gain.”
Dialysis is a procedure used to remove waste and excess fluids from the blood when the kidneys stop working. Blood is usually diverted to a machine to be purified.
“After being on the run from police for a month, police finally arrested the suspect in the Shallcross area in Chatsworth.
“Further investigations led police to a property in Umhlatuzana Township, where police recovered the machine, which is valued at more than R250,000.
“Police seized the exhibit which will be returned to the hospital in due course.”
Gwala said the man would appear in the Chatsworth magistrate's court on Wednesday on a charge of theft.
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