In a chaotic turn of events, four suspects were arrested after a home invasion in Theescombe, with private security and the community potentially cracking a case linked to one of NMB’s most notorious robbery gangs. It began with a home invasion in broad daylight. A group of robbers entered a family home in Gqeberha, held a father at gunpoint while his wife and two minor sons were tied up and their house ransacked.
But less than an hour later, four suspects were detained, an illegal firearm confiscated and the stolen property recovered, thanks to a collaborative effort from the Theescombe community and private security firms, and the tight net they cast to close in on the alleged culprits. Sources believe these suspects could have ties to a notorious robbery gang that terrorised the same neighbourhood more than four years ago, when they allegedly robbed dozens of small holdings not only in Nelson Mandela Bay, but throughout the Garden Route and into the Western Cape. While the initial police reports were not very detailed, police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge confirmed that four suspects, between the ages of 33 and 59, were detained on charges of house robbery and possession of an unlicensed firearm.
They are expected to make their first court appearance on Friday. But Daily Maverick was able to attend a debriefing, which included private security officers and members of the Theescombe Neighbourhood Watch (TNW), where those who were actively involved in the chase were able to provide a comprehensive breakdown of how events unfolded. Those involved in the arrests spoke on condition of anonymity, concerned for their safety as some of the suspects are still at large.
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The hour of chaos began shortly before 2pm on Wednesday and spanned multiple properties and three separate crime scenes. The homeowner arrived at his property near the Kragga Kamma Game Park. On arrival, he noticed something was amiss and alerted his home security company, Tac Net.
Seconds later, he was dragged into his home at gunpoint and found his wife and sons tied up and home invaders ransacking the house. Fortunately, less than two minutes after the call to the security firm, a Tac Net armed response unit arrived at the property, forcing the culprits to flee the scene. “Immediately after our units responded to the house, messages started flying back and forth on community chat groups. These messages were fed through to our control room, and we were able to deploy more units to the area,” a Tac Net director explained.
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