More than R350 000 was stolen at the Pick n Pay in Elsies River.
Cape Town - A Pick n Pay employee stole R350 000 from his Elsies River-based employer and blew half of it in a month before he was bust with the money on his bed at his Eastern Cape home.
Police only recovered R150 000 from the man who, according to a source, told police he had to pay protection money with the rest.
Last week, he was transported from the Eastern Cape.
Although the theft occurred at the Pick n Pay in Elsies River, it’s unclear whether the money belonged to the retailer or the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa).
A police report titled “Sassa money”, sets out how the suspect was tracked down by Eastern Cape police.
The Pick n Pay head office wasn’t available at the time of writing.
Queries were sent to Sassa spokesperson Shivani Wahab, but there had been no response by the time of writing.
Western Cape police requested help from their Eastern Cape counterparts in tracking the 30-year-old suspect, whose name is known to the Cape Argus.
According to sources, the suspect stole R352 000 from and absconded from his job.
Police traced his phone as it moved from the city to the Eastern Cape towards Qumbu, where he was born and raised.
In the Eastern Cape, the suspect went off the radar, but Eastern Cape detectives relied on their informers to track him down.
Police officers eventually arrested him in Mount Frere, where he was found with R141 400. He allegedly told police he had paid “protection fees” with the rest of the money.
After appearing before the Qumbu Magistrate’s Court recently, he was transported to Cape Town, where he will appear before the Goodwood Magistrate’s Court today.
Western Cape police had not responded at the time of writing.
soyiso.maliti@inl.co.za
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