POLICE in Kroonstad have launched an intensive manhunt after a major burglary at the Moqhaka Parks Municipality building in the early hours of Monday, in which more than 40 firearms and over a thousand rounds of ammunition were stolen.
According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), the break-in is believed to have occurred at around 00:55.
The burglary was only discovered later that morning when a municipal employee arrived for work and found the alarm control box destroyed.
Further inspection revealed that the door to the building’s armoury room had been forced open, allegedly using a grinding tool.
Inside, two steel safes had also been cut open and a substantial cache of weapons and protective gear was missing.
Police confirmed that approximately 43 firearms – including 9mm pistols, revolvers and pump-action guns – were stolen, along with 1 105 rounds of ammunition and six bulletproof vests.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the perpetrators gained entry by breaking through a wall next to a bathroom area.
The crime scene was attended by multiple SAPS units, including forensic specialists, as detectives began piecing together how the burglars managed to execute the operation without raising immediate alarm.
By Tuesday evening, no arrests have been made, with police warning that the stolen weapons posed a significant public safety risk.
A case of business burglary has been opened, and SAPS says an intensive investigation is under way.
Police are urging anyone with information that could assist in arresting the suspects or recovering the stolen firearms to contact Detective Colonel Ben Bolsiek at 082 466 8530, the Crime Stop line at 08600 10111, or submit an anonymous tip-off via the MySAPS app.