Habitual burglar nabbed after leaving dirty DNA behind
A 22-year-old man notorious for his habitual run-ins with the law around Sojwe village was recently traced and arrested after allegedly leaving behind his own faeces at the crime scene.
Assistant Superintendent Mogogi Moleta of Sojwe police station confirmed to this publication that officers arrested Evans Mmolai after forensic tests linked him to human waste found at the scene of a shop break-in earlier this year.
“We received a report of shopbreaking, and the police went to the scene, where we found some faeces suspected to be of a human being. Samples were collected and taken to the forensic laboratory for testing, and the results linked Mmolai to the crime,” Moleta explained.
It is alleged that the police found the faeces next to an undisclosed amount of stolen cash, turning what might have been a clean getaway into a very messy mistake.
Moleta revealed that Mmolai had recently been sentenced by a Sojwe Customary Court to serve five months of extra-mural labour for another offence of malicious damage to property and criminal trespass.
Ironically, he was due to start his sentence the following Monday, but the weekend before that he committed another crime, breaking into Sojwe Cooperative Shop, where he was arrested at the crime scene.
Passersby noticed damaged burglar bars, a forced back door of the shop and suspiciously switched-off lights.
They called the police, who managed to get inside and caught Mmolai red-handed.
According to the police, this was Mmolai’s fifth case of shopbreaking and theft whilst on bail for the other offences.
His previous crimes included rape, attempted rape, burglary and theft.
During his arraignment before Molepolole Magistrates’ Court last Tuesday, Mmolai told the court how the police tortured him badly after they caught him at the scene.
“I was arrested on Saturday. I was with one Thabang Dinko, who took the stolen items and fled. I was assaulted by a three-star police officer. They strangled me; I can’t even urinate, and my ribs are also broken. I screamed for help the whole night, but none of the officers assisted me. They only say I have committed a crime, not considering my health,” said Mmolai, who at times sat down in the dock, claiming he was in severe pain and that he needed to sleep.
He further told the court that the police also shot him with a rubber bullet.
The charge sheet indicated that he stole some toiletries, including various bath soaps and roll-ons valued at P622.40.
Principal Magistrate Solomon Setshedi strongly criticised the alleged conduct of the police, describing it as a possible violation of human rights.
“You should tell the investigating officer to come here. I’m going to fire him with questions,” Principal Magistrate Setshedi told prosecutor Sub Inspector Ndebele Sadiwanga, before he further ordered that Mmolai be taken to the hospital for medical examination.
Assistant Superintendent Moleta denied ever assaulting Mmolai, maintaining he personally checked on him at the cells before going to court and he told him he was okay.
“I found him at the office after he was arrested. When I arrived, he started insulting my parents. I did not even touch him. I then instructed police officers to detain him in the holding cells. In the morning when I tried to question him, he claimed he didn’t say anything, and I realised he was drunk,” added ASP Mmolai.
Mmolai will appear in court for mention on January 15th, 2026.
