Cop reports bizarre 'feline escape' from police cells

While the concept of “cat burglars” is nothing new, Mzanzi has added “hijackers who turned into cats to escape police custody” to the international criminal lexicon.

Police are looking for Ali Mustafa, one of two brothers who, according to a cellmate, escaped from Meyerton police station on Tuesday after allegedly “turning into cats and walking through the locked cell door”.

Omari Mustafa has been rearrested but his brother Ali is still in the wind.

TimesLIVE has seen a letter, written by an officer at Meyerton police station to Gauteng police commissioner Lt-Gen Tommy Mthombeni, in which this bizarre claim is made.

The letter starts innocently, informing the general “two suspects went missing from the cells”.

“According to the information, 11 suspects were arrested for possession of hijacked stolen property on a truck,” the officer wrote.

“Two of those suspects disappeared while being charged in the cells.”

The officer explained, “the cell commander and a constable, who were also in the cells, had locked themselves in while the suspects were charged”.

Police, however, soon realised their body count was two prisoners short.

“When it was [the] turn to charge the other two suspects, known as Mustafa Ali and Omari Mustafa, their names were called but they couldn't be found.”

Matters then took a turn for the feline bizarre.

“Among those suspects, there was a suspect in the cell at the time who informed the police he saw these two suspects make a strange owl-like bird noise, turned into cats and escaped while the gate was still locked [sic]. He was prepared to give a statement,” the officer wrote.

Upon the officer who wrote the letter's arrival, he also did a headcount and spoke to the witness of the alleged inter-species transformation escape.

“Voluntarily, this suspect explained what he saw when those suspects turned into cats and escaped. A docket of escape in lawful custody was opened,” the officer wrote.

Gauteng police spokesperson Col Noxolo Kweza confirmed the escape to TimesLIVE.

“Meyerton police have opened a disciplinary case against members after an escape from lawful custody.

“This follows an incident where two suspects arrested for possession of hijacked goods escaped from police custody.

“One suspect has since been rearrested while the other is still at large. We are appealing to anyone who has information about his whereabouts to contact their local police or police toll free number 08600-10111,” Kweza said on Friday.

“The circumstances of the escape will form part of the investigation.”

TimesLIVE