Three people were arrested for stealing diesel at Umpunzi open quarry mine in Witbank, Mpumalanga on Tuesday evening.
Capt. Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi, spokesman for the Priority Crime Investigation Directorate (HAWKS), said officers received a tip that the three men were on their way to steal diesel at Umpunzi open quarry mine.
“The team, in collaboration with Witbank police and Bidvest Protea Coin Security, saw the suspects entering the premises with a tanker truck on Tuesday evening. They immediately started filling the vehicle with diesel. ”
Officers confronted the suspects and immediately arrested them.
“They had a security tag in their possession that gave them access to the mine,” Sekgotodi explained.
“Further investigation led to the arrest of the security guard, who was presumably in connivance with one of the suspects.”
About R30 000 of diesel has already been pumped into the tanker. It was returned to the mine.
The suspects, aged between 40 and 42, are expected to appear in the Witbank Magistrate’s Court on April 14, 2020.
