A panic alarm triggered by a concerned resident led to the discovery of a R6.6 million perlemoen processing plant in Edgemead during the early hours on Monday.
Neal de Witt from Precinct Response says an officer got more than he bargained for when a resident activated his alarm.
De Witt says: “An officer from Precinct Response received a panic alert from their client, who also called and explained that a person had jumped into their yard and they thought it was an attempted break-in.
“Precinct Response along with Bothasig Saps responded swiftly and apprehended a Chinese national who fled from the property.”
De Witt explains that it appeared that police officers had passed the house in Robertson Way and the two suspects allegedly got spooked, causing one of the men to jump into his neighbour’s yard.
“We noticed a Toyota Fortuner idling in the garage at the house next door which was slightly open and I went to check, assuming it was an attempted suicide.
“I entered the garage to investigate and the vehicle was empty. When I got to the front of the vehicle, I could see inside the house and immediately noticed it was an illegal abalone factory.
“I relaid details back to SAPS, who came through, and we assisted SAPS clearing the property. A second individual was apprehended on scene in a bedroom.”
De Witt says the house was filled with baths of abalone and the stench was overwhelming. He adds: “The neighbours had never noticed anything peculiar before, but I reckon they had a stash worth millions in there.”
Police spokesperson, Joseph Swartbooi, confirmed the incident and says the perlemoen is worth R6.6 million.