Four police officers were arrested on Monday night for allegedly stealing R400 and R911 airtime from the Du Noon spaza belonging to Omar Hussein, Cabdi Hassan, Mohamed Abraham and Selman Cabdulqaadir (not pictured). Photo: Peter Luhanga/WCN
Four policemen from the Crime Combating Unit were arrested in Cape Town on Monday night after having allegedly stolen R400 and goods to the value of R911 from a Somali-owned shop in Du Noon.
Speaking on Tuesday morning, Shop keeper Selman Cabdulqaadir said four men in police uniforms, driving an SAPS marked 4×4 double-cab backie, robbed his elder brother’s shop, Maphinda’s Spaza, in Ingwe Street, Du Noon, at about 6pm on Monday.
He said he and his two brothers were in the shop when the men pulled up outside the shop and, with guns on their hips, ordered them to open the security door, claiming they wanted to search for fake cigarettes.
Cabdulqaadir said when he opened the security door the four men got inside the shop, closing the doors behind them.
He says he and his brothers were then ordered to stand at the back of the room while they lit cigarettes of different brands, saying they were testing if they were fake.
He said “at some point” the men became aggressive and pushed them around and questioning them about their asylum seeker or refugee documentation.
After “tasting” the cigarettes they took R400 from the cash box and airtime worth R911, said fellow shopkeeper and Cabdulqaadir’s half-brother Cabdi Hassan.
While exiting the shop, one of the men took an avocado pear, said Hassan.
“We were scared. They are supposed to protect us yet they are acting like criminals,” said Cabdulqaadir.
“The thieves here do to us whatever they want now police are doing the same.”
He said as they left the shop one of the men turned around and told them not to open the shop on Tuesday as they would return to check the validity of their Home Affairs documents, said Hassan.
Milnerton Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Daphne Dell confirmed that four police officers from the CCU (Crime Combating Unit) were arrested on Monday night.
However, Dell was unable to say when the men would appear in court and or what charges they faced. Provincial police spokesperson Andre Traut was not in a position to answer questions at the time of going to press. — Peter Luhanga, West Cape News.
It is about time, I hope someone can do something about this; Police are not protecting us at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!