The undercover operation saw the team recover a total of 126 batteries with a collective value of R908,400.
AN UNDERCOVER police operation, which has been running since November 2020 and involved the installation of solar systems and the utilisation of stolen equipment, has led to the recovery of hundreds of thousands of rand worth of cellphone tower batteries.
Dubbed ‘Operation O’, preliminary investigations led the team, which included Colonel Johan Myburgh, the Frances Baard District Detective Co-ordinator, and Warrant Officer Henk van der Merwe in the Northern Cape, DPCI Southern Cape and the Bidvest Protea Coin BTS division, to various business premises in Mosselbay and George.
The team conducted search-and-seizures actions at the premises from May 26 to 28, 2021, during which they recovered cellphone tower batteries belonging to Vodacom and MTN.
A total of 126 batteries – eight lithium-ion and 118 lead-acid batteries – with a collective value of R908,400 were recovered.
The acting provincial commissioner of the Northern Cape, Major-General Johan Bean, applauded the team, including Colonel Myburgh and Warrant Officer Van der Merwe, for their contribution and participation in the investigation of the case.