Cape Town - Three wanted suspects pretending to be City of Cape Town officials to allegedly gain access into people’s homes have been arrested.
The arrest follows the swift action by the Atlantic Seaboard Response (ASB) Group who foiled their burglary last week.
The suspects are linked to additional house burglaries in Camps Bay, Manenberg and Kuils River.
When caught last week, the men allegedly entered a property in Camps Bay under the guise of being City officials and fled with stolen items. The driver remained in the vehicle.
ASB group founder, Jacques Weber, said the men nearly got away but were quickly placed into custody.
“The Atlantic Seaboard Response Group was alerted to an incident in Camps Bay, where two criminals posed as City of Cape Town meter readers to gain access to a property.
“Once inside, they stole several items and fled the scene,” he said.
“Within minutes, the information was shared with all security providers and law enforcement services.
“An hour later, the suspects’ vehicle was spotted by law enforcement services in Walmer Estate, Woodstock, and was promptly pulled over.
“Two were the ones who had entered the premises and the third was the driver.
“Unfortunately, by the time they were apprehended, the suspects had already sold the stolen items, leaving no physical evidence to link them to the crime.
“Additionally, the criminal case had not yet been logged by SAPS, leading to an initial decision by law enforcement that no arrests could be made.”
Items stolen included a laptop, cellphone and wallet.
Weber said the group were allegedly linked to another incident, which secured the arrest.
“This incident closely matched a widely shared case on Facebook from earlier in the week, in which the same suspects allegedly assaulted and robbed an elderly lady in Manenberg.
“Once this connection was made, the Atlantic Seaboard Response Group was determined not to let the suspects walk free and took decisive action to link the cases, ensuring SAPS would proceed with the arrest.
“Administrators from the ASB Response Group contacted senior SAPS leadership, providing footage of both the Camps Bay and Manenberg incidents.
“They highlighted key similarities and meticulously analysed CCTV footage to confirm that the same suspects were involved.”
Weber said police issued instructions authorising law enforcement to detain both suspects and handed them over for custody.
Law enforcement spokesperson, Wayne Dyason, confirmed the trio’s arrest.
“The swift reaction by law enforcement officers on February 22, 2025, led to the arrest of three suspects posing as City of Cape Town officials in Walmer Estate, after officers followed-up on received information.
“Earlier the day the suspects gained access to a property Camps Bay and stole various items such as a laptop, cell phone and a wallet.
“A case of robbery was opened at Camps Bay SAPS.
“The suspects were caught a while later trying the same scam in Walmer Estate.
“Law enforcement officers were informed by the community group while busy with patrols in Woodstock and reacted immediately, tracing the suspects and apprehended them.
“Investigation showed that the suspects are linked to other incidents in Kuils River, Manenberg and Walmer Estate.“