Man arrested for string of theft targeting residents of old-age homes

An alleged thief, who has been in hiding for several months has been arrested by police in Mpumalanga.

Provincial police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane said Innocent John Pretorius, 51, was nabbed in the evening of February 12 on theft charges.

“It is alleged that the suspect committed theft in July 2024, where valuable items were stolen from a 76-year-old pensioner, a resident at a certain old-age home in Belfast,” said Ndubane.

“The suspect is said to have been providing a cleaning service to the institution and it is alleged that during the rendering of these services, he used it as an opportunity to help himself with some valuables from the elderly.”

A case docket was then registered after the theft incident.

Ndubane said the suspect, Pretorius, is said to have vanished into thin air and has been on the run ever since last year.

“The man could not be located by the police until recently. The investigation by the police also revealed that he could be somehow involved in several incidents of a similar nature that were committed in various old age homes around Belfast, Middelburg, Howard and Paulpietersburg,” she said.

“At this stage, police cannot rule out possibilities that the male suspect could be fingered in other similar criminal offences carried out in areas that have not yet been mentioned.”

Pretorius appeared before the Belfast Magistrate's Court on Friday, where the case was postponed to February 24 2025.

The accused man remains in custody until his next court appearance.

Meanwhile, the acting provincial commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi has welcomed the arrest of Pretorius.

“The arrest of the suspect should encourage the public to continue having confidence in our justice system. People should open cases when a crime is committed so that on the day when a perpetrator is caught, then it becomes possible to charge such a suspect accordingly, thereby bringing such suspect to justice,” he said.

jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za

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