Cambridge police have been as hailed heroes by Ginger & Co cafe owners after the task force successfully arrested two suspects and returned over R60,000 worth of stolen goods to the business.
Co-owner Benji Gane praised the professionalism of the police in a post on the Ginger & Co Facebook page and dubbed the five men East London’s “A Team”.
Last week, customers were shocked to find out that the popular coffee spot in Berea had been robbed of over R100,000 in baking equipment, cash and stock in the early hours of Friday morning.
Gane said the investigation gained momentum when a neighbouring business owner found footage of the suspects on her security cameras making off with the equipment.
“We said we were going to do whatever we could to help the police. This wasn’t just a case number for insurance purposes. So we did a bit of our own digging. We are thrilled to have the stuff, but even more thrilled that arrests were made,” he said.
In the footage four suspects, one wearing a white builder’s face mask, can be seen heaving heavy mixers across the frame, running out with machinery and dodging any witnesses driving past at 2.40am.
“We discovered the footage gave a clear view of faces and the car registration,” Gane said. “They stole our hard drive and modem, which we presume they burnt later. They also knew all the dead spots in our alarm system. “
Originally thought to be an inside job, which Gane said was ruled out by SAPS, the footage was turned over to the Cambridge Task Force on Monday, who arrested the two suspects on Thursday morning.
“We went to the police station with the footage and the task team was all there, they are an incredible bunch. We had two laptops open and they were going through it all, forming opinions on the car and the features of the guys.”
Gane said the break-in was not linked to the armed robbery that had occurred at the restaurant Jules on Jarvis on Monday night, even though both restaurants are located on Jarvis Street and were hit three days apart.
“They said these are not the same guys who hit Jules on Jarvis. We were told they were completely separate events from two different gangs.”
Gane was called into the police station to identify two suspects and stolen goods on Wednesday afternoon, with the equipment returned to their shop on Thursday.
“We received a call to go down to the station and were taken to the back and there was two-thirds of our equipment!”
The items recovered and returned by police included both industrial mixers, one filter coffee machine, a milkshake machine and a smaller mixer.
“Those industrial mixers weigh a ton! I can hardly lift one off the ground. I have no idea how they managed to carry it out of the shop.”
Coincidentally, BCM mayor Xola Pakati was at the cafe getting his regular coffee when the task force arrived to return the stolen equipment.
Pakati said: “It felt good that I experienced this first hand. It is great that the police were able to recover some of the stolen items and bring those responsible to book. The break-in and brazen theft at the Ginger & Co Restaurant was unfortunate and sad. The restaurant is a fine coffee and pastry place in our city. Kudos to the police for doing their work so well. Criminals must never be given a space to breathe.”
Cambridge police station commander Brigadier Pumla Mdlankomo said the suspects, aged 34 and 37, had gained entry to the business through the roof.
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