“I think it’s their first time getting hit,” said a man believed to be among police officers who allegedly robbed a wholesale store in Ekurhuleni last month.
The July 15 incident was caught on CCTV. It shows men taking money from an office at LM Cafe in Nigel on the East Rand.
“You know what this one said to me, he said he earns R4,000 and that I can take R2,000. I told him that he is crazy, we are here now and there is a lot of money here,” the man casually says to his colleagues while laughing.
It is believed about 20 police officers, most in civilian clothing, stormed the shop, chasing out customers, shutting the doors and conducting what they called a raid for illicit cigarettes.
During the “raid”, 152 boxes of cigarettes were allegedly taken and more than R150,000 in cash.
It is believed the men damaged two CCTV cameras focused on other parts of the store, but could not access one which was hidden.
WATCH | CCTV footage shows 'cops looting store' in Ekurhuleni
Footage from LM Cafe, which was robbed, allegedly by police officers.
“I think it’s their first time getting hit,” said a man believed to be among police officers who allegedly robbed a wholesale store in Ekurhuleni last month.
The July 15 incident was caught on CCTV. It shows men taking money from an office at LM Cafe in Nigel on the East Rand.
“You know what this one said to me, he said he earns R4,000 and that I can take R2,000. I told him that he is crazy, we are here now and there is a lot of money here,” the man casually says to his colleagues while laughing.
It is believed about 20 police officers, most in civilian clothing, stormed the shop, chasing out customers, shutting the doors and conducting what they called a raid for illicit cigarettes.
During the “raid”, 152 boxes of cigarettes were allegedly taken and more than R150,000 in cash.
It is believed the men damaged two CCTV cameras focused on other parts of the store, but could not access one which was hidden.
Policemen who allegedly stole cash, cigarettes from Nigel shop remanded
The footage shows one of the men emptying a bucket full of money, then taking a bag of coins and putting it in his jacket pocket.
The video also shows what looks like a uniformed police officer opening a cabinet in which money is stored. The men then place three managers under arrest “for bribery”.
Seven police officers, some attached to the infrastructure unit in Ekurhuleni and others to Germiston crime intelligence, appeared in the Nigel magistrate's court on Monday in connection with the robbery.
They each face two counts of theft, one of malicious damage to property, defeating the ends of justice and corruption.
In 2015 two police officers from the Nigel police station were dismissed for allegedly breaking into the same store, stealing cigarettes and cash. Video footage from neighbouring shops showed uniformed police officers were involved and used police vehicles to load goods stolen from the wholesaler. The vehicle was signed out to the pair that evening.
However, the case was not prosecuted due to insufficient evidence.
SowetanLIVE
sibiyan@sowetan.co.za
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