Laptops stolen from Interpol's Pretoria offices
30 July 2014 at 10:40 by Sapa - Police
have confirmed that the Interpol offices in Pretoria were broken into and
laptops and other electronic items were stolen.
"We have registered a case of robbery. Several
items were taken, including laptops, cameras, and tablets," police
spokesman Lt-Gen Solomon Makgale said today.
"Some items belong to the state and some were
privately owned by people who work in the office."
Police became aware of the incident on Sunday and
did not say if anybody else was in the building at the time, or if there were
injuries.
According to the Sowetan newspaper, the laptops
contained information about Czech fugitive Radovan Krejcir's case, secret
witness lists, and information linked to investigations into international
crime syndicates.
Investigators had apparently indicated that one of
the stolen laptops belonged to an officer involved in George Louca's
extradition to South Africa from Cyprus.
Makgale said the Sowetan's allegations were
"pure speculation".
"That's what they say. That is pure
speculation," he said.
"We are busy with an investigation to
establish a number of things. We would like to establish what was contained in
the items taken."
The newspaper reported that the theft took place on
Saturday but that burglars returned the following day using access cards and
key codes to gain entry into the office.
Makgale could not tell Sapa if access cards and key
codes had been used, or if the building was monitored by closed-circuit
television (CCTV) cameras.
"We still need to investigate how this could
have happened," he said.
No arrests had yet been made.
Krejcir and five others are on trial facing charges
of kidnapping, attempted murder, and dealing in drugs.
Louca, a Cypriot national, is accused of killing
Teazers strip club boss Lolly Jackson.
(File
photo: Gallo Images)
