Woodstock police and law enforcement apprehended 77 people who were found illegally on Passenger Railway Agency of South Africa (PRASA) land last week.
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Hilton Malila said 34 people were apprehended on Thursday April 18 in a operation at the Mascani informal settlement located by the railway lines near Railway Street in Woodstock.
“We also removed and broke down illegal makeshift structures that were erected along the railway tracks and the MyCiTi bus lane between Cape Town and Woodstock,” he said.
In another operation later the same morning, they removed people staying in derelict buildings on Prasa property along Railway Street and Beach Road, Woodstock.
“We recovered multiple train parts which include copper in makeshift structures,” said Warrant Officer Malila.
The people were not taken into police custody but were given a warning.
Warrant Officer Malila said this investigation led them to the Plasie informal settlement in Wright Street where they apprehended 43 people who can possibly be linked to robberies in the vicinity of Wright, Pine and Station roads.
Warrant Officer Malila said they arrested a woman who is wanted on an outstanding criminal case in Manenberg and a man who was charged with being in possession of a dangerous weapon.