Durban — A female homeowner subdued a suspected copper thief after confronting him on her property during the early hours of Saturday morning.
According to Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA), officers were dispatched to the scene at approximately 02:42. On arrival, they found the suspect bound at the hands and with visible facial injuries sustained in an altercation with the homeowner and neighbours.
“I was awakened by suspicious noises in my yard,” the homeowner told RUSA officers.
“When I went to check, I saw a man busy removing my copper pipes and fittings. I armed myself with a baton and confronted him.”
Her calls for help alerted neighbours, who rushed to assist her in restraining the intruder until security officers arrived.
During questioning by RUSA, the suspect allegedly admitted to being a heroin addict.
“He confirmed that his intention was to sell the stolen copper to a scrapyard to finance his drug habit,” RUSA said in a statement.
The man was handed over to the authorities for further investigation.
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Picture: Facebook/Reaction Unit South Africa
Compiled by Betha Madhomu
