A suspected cable dief from Ottery literally got the shock of his life when he was electrocuted while trying to steal cables from a krag box.
Residents awoke to the loud bangs on Saturday morning, which they initially mistook for gunshots but got a skrik when the man’s body was found.
Shanaaz Sulaiman-Davids, spokesperson for the Ottery Safety Patrols, said they were alerted to the incident and attended the scene along Strandfontein Road.
“He is part of a crew in George Way who are known not only for cable theft, but house break-ins, robberies and general thefts in the area,” she claimed.
“We heard three loud bangs and we thought it was gunshots but then we were alerted to the electrocution.”
Sulaiman-Davids said on arrival at the scene, patrollers got a skrik when they found the skelm slumped at the krag box with a piece of wire in his mouth.
“Grassy Park SAPS and the Law Enforcement Metal Theft Unit came out. The Law Enforcement officers could not move his body because the electrical current was still running through his body and he was basically still frying,” she said.
“His girlfriend arrived and kept saying she wanted his cellphone and the money in his shoe. It appears there was a group of them and when he got electrocuted they got a skrik and ran away.”
Grassy Park station commander Dawood Laing has confirmed the victim is an ou skelm, adding that officers also searched his hokkie.
“The Metal Theft Unit and Grassy Park officers went to his hokkie in George Way and here they found a stash of other electrical equipment which included the batteries stolen from the traffic lights.
“An inquest docket was opened by Philippi SAPS as his body was found in their precinct but the stolen items were booked in at our station,” he added.