Police arrested two foreign nationals and recovered multiple stolen vehicles, including a truck recently robbed in Gauteng, during a search operation in Belfast on Thursday, January 29, 2026.
Acting on intelligence, a joint team from the Middelburg Flying Squad, a private tracking company, and Belfast Police located a stolen truck at a premises on Bhekimuzi Masango Drive at approximately 16:00. The truck, bearing Mozambican registration, had been stolen from its owner in Elsburg, Gauteng.
Officers obtained permission to search the property and confronted two men performing mechanical work on the vehicle. The suspects claimed ownership as business associates. The truck was positively identified as the stolen vehicle, though it had been stripped of parts.
The suspects, identified as nationals of Malawi and Zimbabwe, were arrested for possession of suspected stolen property and for contravening the Immigration Act. Eight tyres and other stripped parts were seized as evidence.
A subsequent search of the yard revealed additional vehicles. One, a blue car with Mpumalanga registration, was confirmed via VIN check to have been reported stolen in Berea, Gauteng, in 1993. It was seized for further investigation.
Both suspects are scheduled to appear before the Belfast Magistrate’s Court on Monday, February 2, 2026.
