An alleged armed robber was apprehended just hours after two people were robbed of their valuables at knife point on Signal Hill over the weekend. There has been an increase in crime on the mountains since hiking was allowed again under Level 3 restrictions.
“Cape Town Central Police Station’s B Relief shift members responded to a robbery on Signal Hill where two persons were robbed of high-end cellphones by a knife-wielding suspect on Saturday [June 13],” Police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa said in a statement.
According to IOL, police said the suspect fled into the busy area of Signal Hill, leading towards Camps Bay, when they arrived on the scene. Officers examined the crime scene on foot and tracked down the victims’ stolen cellphones. Two hours later, the suspect was found hiding in a ‘makeshift cave’.
He was found in possession of two cellphones and a knife when he was caught. The 35-year-old suspect was arrested and charged with aggravated robbery and possession of a dangerous weapon. He will make an appearance in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court today [Monday, June 15].
Potelwa commended the diligence of the officers who tracked the suspect down.
In other similar incidents, on June 9 a woman was robbed of her camera and allegedly assaulted between the parking lot and waterfall at Silvermine’s Gate 2.
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Picture: Friends of Lion’s Head and Signal Hill/Facebook
