VUYO MKIZE and ALI MPHAKI
A N INVESTIGATION by crime intelligence police has led to the arrest of three men in Lenasia, south of Joburg, in connection with the cross-border trading of stolen vehicles.
Hawks spokesman Colonel McIntosh Polela said the police raided three houses in Lenasia around 5am yesterday. They found a brand-new Ford Fortuner stolen at a dealership in Randburg last week; a BMW 320 stolen from a dealership in Roodepoort last week; a brand-new Corsa bakkie, but with false engine registration numbers; and a Toyota Dyna truck.
Police also found two off-road trailers, two superbikes, two quadbikes, and a Subaru Forester with false Mozambican number plates.
Also recovered were false documents, a printer, border-crossing stamps, R94 750 in cash, a shotgun and a 9mm pistol, plus 181 rounds of ammunition.
“The cars were stolen and sold to countries such as Botswana, Zambia and Mozambique. They (suspects) had documents which ‘allowed’ them to sell the merchandise across the countries, but those papers were fraudulent. We found everything, such as stamps they used on the documents and the printers they used to print them,” Polela said.
The recovered items have been taken to the police safeguarding unit for storage.
The men, aged between 20 and 40, are expected to appear in the Protea Magistrate’s Court tomorrow on charges of theft, hijacking, possession of stolen property, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, forgery and uttering.
“We are still looking for several other suspects who are linked to the trading, and investigations will continue,” Polela added.
Meanwhile, extra vigilance by members of the Joburg Flying Squad yesterday saw them corner and arrest four men who they believe were on their way to commit a crime.
While patrolling the busy N12 towards Lenasia, the police saw a white Corsa bakkie driving at high speed and they followed the vehicle, cornered it at an intersection in Klipspruit West.
When searching the bakkie, police found two 9mm firearms, two balaclavas, three pairs of gloves as well as ammunition, which included high-calibre hollow-point bullets for an automatic rifle.
Gauteng police spokeswoman Lieutenant-Colonel Katlego Mogale confirmed that the four men, aged between 33 and 35, were arrested for possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
She said the four would appear in the Protea Magistrate’s Court today, where they would also face an additional charge of conspiracy to commit a crime.
Police have warned that with the festive season approaching, there is likely to be an increase in violent crime. They urged members of the public to be on the lookout and never hesitate to report any kind of crime to the police.