Digital Highway robbery – who is buying stolen computers?

Computers and IT equipment worth millions have been stolen in a wave of business robberies in Durban’s Highway area.

And while police acknowledge the spate of robberies in recent months‚ a local security expert raised the question of what was becoming of the stolen computers.

Ian Colls‚ of Compusafe‚ said that theft of IT equipment was not a new trend.

“This dates back to 2014‚ with 128 reported cases until September this year. The syndicate move from area to area‚ spending several months in one specific area before moving on to another‚” he said.

“The modus operandi has always been the same. Four to five men in vehicles with big boot space derail driveway gates and force their way inside‚ before grabbing as many computers‚ screens‚ laptops and plasma screens in a matter of minutes‚” Colls said.

He added that often the wily robbers will steal the CCTV recording unit‚ taking with them the evidence of the incursion.

“The same businesses are broken into again within three weeks of the first break-in‚ for the newly replaced IT equipment‚” he said.

He said that the cost of replacing equipment and repairing the damage of the break-in could amount to as much as R150‚000 per robbery.

“Crime in this country is big business… the big question is‚ where is all this equipment going?

Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane said that statistics available to police was congruent with an upward trend.

“Our crime intelligence has been tasked to look into the matter‚ and cases are being investigated by our Trio Crime Task team.”

The team investigates business and house robberies as well as hijackings.

“We are appealing to the community to participate in combating crime by assisting the police with any information about the whereabouts of these criminals‚” he said.