As police efforts and visibility intensify over the festive season, members from various Vehicle Crime Investigating Units (VCIU) of the SAPS in Gauteng, on Saturday, 23 November 2019, embarked on intelligence-driven operations to bring down vehicle related crimes.
A total of eight suspects were arrested for different vehicle crime offences; while police impounded a total of 28 vehicles that were confirmed as either stolen or hijacked, or whose engines had been tempered with.
The Provincial VCIU working with Data Dot arrested two suspects in the West Rand, one of them an undocumented foreign national, for possession of suspected stolen property. This was after police seized two Ford Ranger roofs and a number plate belonging to a vehicle reported as stolen in May 2019 in Orlando.
In Randfontein, police inspected a number of vehicles at an identified dealership and seized a BMW reported stolen in August 2008 in Garsfontein. A man was issued with a fine for non-compliance with the Second Hand Goods Act.
In a parallel operation, members from the Booysens VCIU arrested a suspect for theft of fuel reported in September 2019 and confiscated the vehicle, a VW Polo on suspicion of having been utilized during the commission of the crime.
Two vehicles, a Ford Ranger confirmed as stolen in September 2019 in Lyttleton, and a VW Polo confirmed as stolen in August 2010 in Sophiatown, were both impounded on suspicion of being cloned. Further investigations will be conducted.
The Soweto VCIU team arrested three suspects in relation to: a March 2019 theft of a motorbike in Krugersdrop, and for possession of suspected stolen vehicles stolen in April 2019 in Eldorado Park, and in July 2019 in Ennerdale, respectively. A Nissan 1400 was impounded from the roadblock because the engine numbers have been tampered with.
The VCIU team from Vereeniging also took to the streets and impounded three Toyota Hi-Ace and two Toyota Ventures for further investigation.
The Benoni VCIU conducted inspections and seized two engines – a VW engine and a Honda engine on suspicion of tampering. Meanwhile, seven vehicles were seized for further investigation from a scrapyard in Duduza, and one from a dealership in Benoni. All eight vehicles had been tampered with.
Two suspects were arrested in Kwa-Thema after police recovered a Hyundai i20 hijacked in Alexandra this month, and two firearms. The two suspects will be profiled while the firearms will be subjected to ballistic testing to establish possible linkage to previous serious and violent crimes.
Seven vehicles were seized by the Pretoria West VCIU.
Gauteng Provincial Commissioner of Police, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela, has commended the good work and encouraged the members to maintain the momentum towards eradicating the scourge of vehicle theft and hijackings, both often committed under violent circumstances during which victims are either injured or killed.
The arrested suspects will appear before various magistrate courts in the Province, in due course.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
