28 September 2010, 00:09
By Thandi Skade
Two police reservists from Mamelodi, Tshwane, were arrested, together with a civilian accomplice, after holding a Somali family at gunpoint in Mayfair, Joburg, for two-and-a-half hours.
A third Mamelodi police reservist, who it is believed made off with R12 000 cash, a cellphone and jewellery, is on the run.
Police were able to arrest the three after the getaway driver drove off, leaving his accomplices to be apprehended by residents.
Abdirisak Igaal, his wife and three-year-old daughter arrived at their Mayfair home around 11am yesterday to find three uniformed
police officers, two male and one female, standing outside his house. They told him they had been sent by “head office” to search the house because he was a suspected drug dealer, although they didn’t possess a search warrant.
“They showed me a docket and threatened forced entry if I didn’t open the door. I said ‘come in’ because I have nothing to hide,” he said.
Once inside the house, one officer body-searched Igaal and began interrogating him about where he comes from, how long he had been in the country and what he did for a living.
“I told them I’m self-employed, that I own a shop that sells airtime and electrical appliances,” he said.
They then marched him to his bedroom, where the nice-cop act came to an abrupt end.
One officer pulled out a gun, cocked it and pointed it straight at Igaal’s head, before allegedly saying: “If you don’t sit down I’ll blow out your brain.”
Another officer allegedly pulled a knife and threatened his other daughter, aged 2, who had followed him into the bedroom.
They stole the R12 000 cash that Igaal had split between three pockets in his pants, as well as his cellphone, while his wife was robbed of her wedding ring and a necklace.
“I was shocked. The children were crying like nobody’s business… There was no heart there, they were merciless,” he said.
He said the trauma would haunt the family for some time to come. “I will never trust cops again; there’s no more trust there,” he said.
The trio fled the scene on foot after their getaway driver fled,
but were quickly nabbed by relatives and residents who had gathered outside the house after hearing of the robbery. One of the reservists was able to escape.
The getaway driver drove back to the scene a short while later, but Igaal’s relatives blocked the road and held him until police arrived.
Duad Ali Diriye, a cousin, said what scared them most was that they were no longer safe in their own homes.
Abdul Sheiq, whose house was robbed by three police officers in July, said he refused to let two cops who were following up on the robbery into his home because he simply couldn’t trust that all uniformed police were who they claimed to be.
Gauteng provincial police spokeswoman Captain Katlego Mogale confirmed that the pair arrested were Mamelodi police reservists, while another reservist was at large. - The Star
The Star
Comments by Sonny
What will the public do when they find out student constables are 'investigating'
their cases?
The only time the I/O contacts a complainant is to complain about items on the list
of stolen property!
What about the assailants?
Who will arrest and prosecute them?
How many more reservists and policemen are busy with organised crime in SAPS
uniforms and equipment?
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