THE Limpopo Division of the High Court handed hefty sentences to three “Boko Haram” gangsters on Tuesday, 28 June, for serious crimes that were committed in September and October 2017.
Ndou Lukase Rembuluwani (29), Ndou Ben (29) and Khoza Ngobeni Small (28) were sentenced to a combined period of 384 years in jail.
According to Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo, the trio was convicted on 25 cases that were committed in Seshego and Westenburg policing areas.
He said residents were tormented by their reign of terror that lasted for two months.
“The trio was among the group of criminals who were calling themselves ‘Boko Haram’, and terrorising communities by committing serious crimes including murder and attempted murder,” Mojapelo said.
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He said the accused were also convicted for housebreaking, robbery with aggravating circumstances, malicious damage to property, theft and house robberies.
“They were also convicted for contravening immigration laws for being in the country illegally,” Mojapelo said.
One of their vicious crimes was committed on 19 October 2017, when a group of four suspects entered the victims’ premises at a local plot and surrounded the house.
Mojapelo said all suspects were armed with firearms.
“The victim noticed the suspects on CCTV and alerted his wife and kids to hide, and then notified the police. The victim fired a warning shot and suspects also fired shots at the house. One suspect was gunned down and the other three fled, leaving him behind,” he said.
The day after the incident, cops received a tip-off from the hospital where one suspect was fatally wounded.
Mojapelo said the suspects reportedly sent their girlfriends to the hospital to check if their accomplice was brought in.
“The police activated a snap operation consisting of detectives and public order policing. On arrival, they found the girlfriends, who led them to Seshego, where the suspects were hiding. The three were arrested and police recovered some of the stolen properties including firearms and ammunition. They were then linked to more cases,” he added.
The court sentenced the accused to 128 years imprisonment each.
