An intruder believed to have broken into the Hercules police station in Pretoria spent several days hiding out in the ceiling before he was caught on Sunday night.
The suspect — 32-year-old Thabang Chauke — is in custody and will make his second appearance in court next week on charges of business burglary and tampering with essential infrastructure.
Police spokesperson Brig Brenda Muridili said the manner in which Chauke gained entry to the premises was part of the investigation.
His hideout was discovered on Sunday at about 8.30pm when officers on duty heard strange sounds and realised there was movement in the ceiling. They went to investigate and spotted the suspect.
“They arrested him,” Muridili said.
A search of the ceiling led detectives to find a laptop and cellphone, among other things.
Chauke had a screwdriver in his possession when he was apprehended.
“Upon searching the premises it was discovered that the suspect had broken into the offices of the station commander and the visible policing commander,” Muridili said, because uniforms and bullet proof vests were taken from those stores.
The suspect is alleged to have tampered with the police station’s network cables in the roof, which have since been fixed.
She was unable to say how Chauke survived in the ceiling, what he found to eat and drink, and how long he was living in the police station before his hideout was discovered.
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Intruder hiding in police station ceiling arrested
Suspect believed to have lived in roof of Pretoria police station for days
Image: 123RF/thawornnurak
An intruder believed to have broken into the Hercules police station in Pretoria spent several days hiding out in the ceiling before he was caught on Sunday night.
The suspect — 32-year-old Thabang Chauke — is in custody and will make his second appearance in court next week on charges of business burglary and tampering with essential infrastructure.
Police spokesperson Brig Brenda Muridili said the manner in which Chauke gained entry to the premises was part of the investigation.
His hideout was discovered on Sunday at about 8.30pm when officers on duty heard strange sounds and realised there was movement in the ceiling. They went to investigate and spotted the suspect.
“They arrested him,” Muridili said.
A search of the ceiling led detectives to find a laptop and cellphone, among other things.
Chauke had a screwdriver in his possession when he was apprehended.
“Upon searching the premises it was discovered that the suspect had broken into the offices of the station commander and the visible policing commander,” Muridili said, because uniforms and bullet proof vests were taken from those stores.
The suspect is alleged to have tampered with the police station’s network cables in the roof, which have since been fixed.
She was unable to say how Chauke survived in the ceiling, what he found to eat and drink, and how long he was living in the police station before his hideout was discovered.
PODCAST | Why are SA’s most deadly convicted criminals up for parole?
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