An integrated intelligence-driven operation on Friday afternoon 25 September 2020, saw a multi-disciplinary team pounce on a chop-shop in Crystal Park, Ekurhuleni where parts of different reported stolen and hijacked vehicles were found.
Operationalizing information obtained by Johannesburg East Crime Intelligence, members of the SAPS collaborated with the Saturation Unit of Gauteng Traffic Police, Tracker Connect, private security and the Insurance Crime Bureau and, on arrival found one employee driving a Toyota Hilux carrying two engines that have been tampered with. The van was immediately profiled and confirmed as a vehicle that was stolen and reported at Honeydew SAPS in June 2018.
The team proceeded to the workshop and found 11 more vehicles that were stripped off their parts. The vehicle models ranged from Toyota Hilux, Isuzu to Ford Rangers and have since been confirmed as either stolen or hijacked as per cases reported at Garsfontein, Germiston, Randburg, Langlaagte, Lyttleton, Roodepoort and Zonkeizizwe between 2018 and 2020.
Police arrested the 65-year old owner of the business together with his 40-year old son, and the 43-year old employee.
The three are expected to appear before the Benoni Magistrate Court on Monday 28 September 2020 on a charge of possession of stolen vehicles.
Gauteng Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela has lauded the sustained collaborative approach between the SAPS, other law enforcement agencies and private sector stakeholders in dealing with vehicle crime.
“The synergy and pooling together of resources is highly commendable as this intensifies our efforts to eradicate hijackings by choking the market and the demand for hijacked and stolen vehicles. To this end this approach has proven to be a winning formula given the recent successful operations,” remarked the Provincial Commissioner.
Consumers are cautioned to be vigilant when shopping for vehicle parts especially from popular “cheap” workshops as these could be the proceeds of often violent hijackings and theft of motor vehicles during robberies.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
