GRAAFF-REINET NEWS  - Five men were arrested for vandalising and stealing batteries from a cellphone tower in Jansenville on Thursday. 

The suspects were apprehended by Addo SAPS after a suspicious vehicle, a grey Datsun Go with five occupants, was intercepted on Route R336, a few kilometers outside Addo.

According to Lt Col Siphokazi Mawisa, the Eastern Cape SAPS media representative, members of Addo SAPS had received a tip-off on Wednesday, 15 January, around 06:00, about the vehicle heading toward Addo, possibly involved in the theft of batteries from a cellphone tower in Jansenville. 

The officers were alerted to be on the lookout for the vehicle, and it was soon spotted on Route R336.

Upon stopping the vehicle, officers found various implements, including grinders, inside. Following a preliminary investigation, the five suspects, aged between 24 and 31, were arrested and charged under the Criminal Matters Amendment Act 18 of 2015 for damaging essential infrastructure. 

The case has been handed over to the Hawks for further investigation, and the suspects are set to appear in the Jansenville Magistrate’s Court today.

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