Overview
- The Johannesburg Metro Police Department’s Tactical Response Unit arrested a 26-year-old Zimbabwean suspect in Hillbrow after the Brooklyn, Pretoria theft video spread online.
- Officers said the suspect was found with a cellphone he could not account for and was detained on a charge of possessing suspected stolen property.
- Social media users helped identify the suspect by matching his appearance and clothing in the video to online posts linked to prior activity.
- The operation expanded to Johannesburg Central, where three Bangladeshi nationals alleged to ‘flush’ stolen phones were arrested and specialised reprogramming equipment was seized.
- JMPD reported preliminary links between the main suspect and multiple phone snatchings, a March 2025 hijacking involving an off-duty officer, and a cloned Toyota Corolla, with further arrests described as imminent.