The unusual sight of a minibus carrying 23 goats led to the arrest of three suspected stock thieves in KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday, police said.
Spokesperson Captain Charmaine Streuwig said officers from the Ladysmith stock-theft unit were following up a lead on the theft of goats when they made the arrest.
They spotted a the vehicle at the side of the road between Colenso and Estcourt.
”Upon closer inspection, they were surprised to find 23 goats being transported in the vehicle,” said Streuwig.
”The three suspects could not give the officers a good enough account of where the stock came from, and they were arrested for the possession of suspected stolen property.”
The goats were believed to have been stolen in the past two weeks. All carried the same ear marks, indicating they came from the same owner.
The trio would appear in the Ladysmith Magistrate’s Court within a day or two, Struwig said. — Sapa