Two arrested for stolen laptops

Johannesburg - Two men have been arrested for allegedly stealing a number of laptops, police said on Sunday.

Following a tip-off, a 25-year-old man was arrested in Lyttleton, south of Pretoria, after he was found in possession of four allegedly stolen laptops, Lieutenant General Solomon Makgale said in a statement.

"These laptops were reported stolen in Brooklyn and Sandton in July and August 2014 respectively."

Following the 25-year-old man's arrest, the second man, 31, was arrested in Sasolburg in the Free State, where he was found in possession of 25 allegedly stolen laptops.

"At least one of these laptops has been reported stolen in Benoni in June this year and two were reported stolen in Lydenburg earlier this month," he said.

"Further investigations will be conducted to determine the origin of the remaining notebooks."

The theft of laptops was a growing concern, as recently in three separate incidents, the SAPS Interpol and Hawks offices, both of which are situated in the same building, had been broken into.

"Entry was gained into these offices after external windows were forced open and in all of these incidents laptops were stolen," he said.

"While we believe that the same people were involved in all three these incidents, we have ruled out the involvement of a syndicate."

It was becoming increasingly clear that items like laptops were being stolen "purely for self-enrichment" and not to extract sensitive information, Makgale said.

"The two suspects arrested this weekend will appear in the Lyttleton and Sasolburg courts on charges of possession of suspected stolen property."