A 17-year-old rape suspect who escaped from a juvenile centre in the Eastern Cape will spend Christmas Day behind bars after police found him hiding in a ceiling.
He had been arrested in connection with rape and house robbery.
Police recaptured the teenager, who was found hiding in the ceiling of a relative’s home at Empa locality, Bityi, in the OR Tambo district, on Friday evening.
He escaped from the Qumbu Juvenile Centre on Thursday.
“The 17-year-old man was arrested by Bityi police for house robbery and rape,” police spokesperson Captain Welile Matyolo said.
“His case was postponed by the Bityi magistrate’s court to January 26.
“Bityi police were alerted by Qumbu police about the escape and on Friday, Bityi police got information from informants that the 17-year-old was at Empa locality.
“At about 7pm, he was found [in the] ceiling of the relative’s homestead and taken back to Qumbu Juvenile Centre.”
OR Tambo district commissioner Major-General Norman Modishana commended police for their swift action in recapturing the suspect.
He urged young people not to get involved in criminal activities, saying having a criminal record would ruin their future.
Daily Dispatch