GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - The serious crimes reported this week in Graaff-Reinet are all related to property - many of these involving motor vehicles.
During the night of 19 September, two vehicles were stolen from Cradock Street, and an attempt was also made to take one from Meintjie Street.
In the first incident, the owner parked the vehicle in the yard at 19:00 on 19 September. The theft was discovered at 06:45 the next morning when the owner's son found that the vehicle was missing when he left for school. The value of this vehicle is R25 000.
The second incident, on the same night, was discovered by the owner herself the next morning.
She had arrived home at 17:30 and left the car locked outside. When she woke up at 06:30 the next morning, she noticed that it had been taken. The value of this vehicle is R75 000. In both cases, the vehicles were recovered, much to the relief of their owners, although there are no known suspects at this stage.
Sometime between 09:00 on 19 September and 05:50 the next morning, someone tried to steal a vehicle from a property in Meintjies Street, Spandauville. The vehicle was kept behind a locked gate.
When the owner opened her curtains on Friday morning, she noticed that the gate's lock was open, and when she went to investigate, she found that the chain and padlock were missing.
The vehicle's driver's door stood slightly open, and the door lock and ignition both had been damaged, to the value of R7 000. A case of attempted theft of motor vehicle has been opened.
On the same night, between 17:30 and 18:45, clothing and a blanket, valued at R7 000, were stolen from the back of a bakkie in Lower location, Umasizakhe. According to the owner of the vehicle, she parked her vehicle in front of the house and locked it. When she went back to her vehicle a short while later, she found that the canopy had been forced open, and the clothing and blanket were missing.
In a short period during the evening of 21 September, between 19:00 and 22:30, two Scotts mountain bikes were taken from the back of a vehicle parked in Parsonage Street. It appears that the ropes and straps securing the bikes to the back of the vehicle were cut loose. The value of the two bikes is R75 000.
In Asherville, on the same night, somebody broke into the boot of a vehicle and stole a sub-woofer and amplifier to the value of R2500. The break-in occurred between 17:00 on 21 September and 09:10 the next morning.
The above cases are all still under investigation.
There were three cases of residential burglary during the week.
The first incident took place on 22 September between 01:20 and 06:10 in Umasizakhe. According to the owner, the front door of the house was forced open and forced the front door of the residence open to gain entry. An LG hi-fi to the value of R9 000 was taken.
The second incident took place on the evening of the same day, at about 21:20, in Geluksdal. When the complainant came back to his home, he found the door slightly ajar. His girlfriend went to check the side of the house, and she saw the suspect, who is known to her, running away. The complainant went inside the house and found groceries, electrical wire, and a cell phone charger missing.
The value of the stolen items amounts to R300. The suspect has not yet been arrested, and the investigation continues.
Another residential burglary took place at about midnight the next day, in Umasizakhe. The burglar door of the house was forced open and the door was broken to gain entry. It is known that the suspect or suspects took a television (valued at about R2 000), but the complainant is not sure what else has been taken as he is only looking after the house while the owner is out of town.
There were also two cases of robbery, one involving a weapon other than a firearm. This happened on 19 September in Chris Hani Village, at 18:00. The suspect grabbed the complainant and stabbed him, before robbing him of cash to the value of R350. The suspect is known but has not yet been arrested.
The second case referred to the theft of a cell phone in Caledon Street. Two unknown men robbed the victim of his phone, worth R1 200, and ran away.
Two cases of theft were reported, both involving illegal financial transactions.
The first case was opened after a bank card was used to withdraw money, without the owner's consent.
According to the complainant, the suspect (who is known to him), withdrew money from Capitec Bank in Caledon Street on two occasions, and also assaulted him. The withdrawals were made on 17 September at 10:21 and 18 September at 09:30. The money taken using the bank card comes to R8 530. The suspect is known but has not yet been arrested.
Also reported during the past week is an incident from 10 September, to a resident of Adendorp. According to the complainant, she received a message regarding a "transaction" that she had supposedly made for purchasing several items to the value of R7489. She knows nothing of any such transaction and has opened a case of theft.
The final case for this week is of stock theft, from the farm Opreisfontein.
This occurred between 16 September and 18 September.
The complainant stated that a goat had been removed from the kraal and slaughtered near a waterfall on the farm. The value of the goat is R2500. The case is still under investigation.
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