A man accused of stealing tower members was arrested by the police at a local bar while he was still enjoying his Wednesday beer.

The 39-year-old Goitseone Thebeetsile, who resides in Francistown’s Bluetown location, allegedly stole 14 tower members belonging to Botswana Power Corporation (BPC).

He was arraigned before the Francistown Magistrates Court last Wednesday morning.

In court, it was revealed that Thebeetsile, along with four others who had already been arrested, had been stealing the tower members from May until June.

The stolen items are said to be worth P60,000.

After the charge was read to Thebeetsile, state prosecutor Ookeditse Machina informed the court that the accused had stolen and sold the items.

The prosecutor also requested that the accused be remanded in custody, as investigations into the matter were still at an early stage.

“We are dealing with someone without any identity card, so we plead that we be given more time to establish if he is a Botswana citizen or not. He was only arrested on Wednesday at a drinking spot, still drinking alcohol, so not much has been done on the case. Moreover, we are yet to collect witness statements,” Machina said, adding that they have recovered some of the stolen items.

The court considered the prosecution’s plea and remanded the accused in custody. He will be back in court on July 22nd.