THEY allegedly stole a deodorant spray that cost R19 and two bars of soap worth R9 each. But they caused damage of more than R100 000.
The three men went into a shop in Despatch Shopping Centre, near Uitenhage, Eastern Cape on Tuesday afternoon.
The three men, aged 23, 26 and 29, are believed to be from Kayamandi in Despatch. They were bust by security guards who locked them in a toilet.
A guard told Daily Sun it was over lunchtime so they locked the three men in a toilet and went to the kitchen to eat.
“A few minutes later the centre manager started calling for people to leave the building,” said the guard.
“We got up to run out, but then the men fell through the ceiling on our heads and the table in front of us. Water started pouring from above.”
It appears that after being locked into the toilet, the men tried to get out by climbing into the roof.
“They messed around with water pipes and set off the sprinkler system, forcing the centre management to evacuate customers and staff.
“Soon, most of the stores were flooded with water from the roof,” said the guard.
“This happened at about 2pm, and by 5pm we were still cleaning up.”
Police spokeswoman Lieutenant Gerda Swart said: “Three suspects face charges of shoplifting and malicious damage to property.
“The damaged is estimated at R120 000. They will appear in the Uitenhage Magistrates Court soon.”
