Members of No Jack, based at Kleinfontein Office Park, followed up a signal of their client’s brand new Toyota Quantum which was hijacked in Johannesburg on Sunday night.
They ended up arresting 10 men, recovering firearms, tracker jamming devices, cellphones, cash and several other items.
“We responded to the call and as the vehicle was moving to Soweto we lost the tracker signal at around midnight but because of our experience we knew the vehicle was moving to the Soweto area so we went there,” said Anton Koen of No Jack Vehicle Tracking.
At about 1am the signal came back online again — pointing to a plot in Orange Farm.
“We went there and together with the SAPS we searched but did not find anything as the signal disappeared again because the guys were using a signal jammer,” said Koen.
After 1am there were no further signals so Koen and his team withdrew from the area at around 5.30am, as it was also raining heavily and making their work difficult.
The signal was picked up again at 11am on Monday morning and this time showing the vehicle moved from Orange Farm to De Deur in the Vaal.
“We made our way there and arranged to meet the Hawks there too,” said Koen who was a police officer for 23 years.
As they approached the property they noticed something that looked like the top half of a vehicle, resembling a Toyota Quantum, behind a big wall.
“The satellite position also showed us the vehicle was there,” said Koen.
Koen said they knew they were looking for guys who are armed with serious fire power as they were reportedly armed with a shotgun, an R5, a revolver and a pistol when they hijacked the vehicle.
“So we were also armed with some serious fire stuff,” said Koen,
Koen and his colleagues Wellen de Meyer and Frederick Koen entered the house through the kitchen into the lounge and there they found 10 men sitting around the table drinking.
“So we just started shouting and disorientating them — telling them we would shoot if they moved,” he said.
They immediately told the men to put their hands on their heads and lie down on the floor.
“We searched them and found two of them in possession firearms — one pistol and a revolver,” said Koen.
Koen said the Hawks then arrived and they were amazed how the three of us managed to take 10 guys.
They then handed the scene over to the Hawks and started inspecting the vehicle.
“They stripped the vehicle inside looking for the trackers — they stripped the roof, dashboards and the seats but our trackers were never compromised,” added Koen.
When police finally took fingerprints of all the suspects on the scene it revealed that they were serious criminals — some are killers.
There was also muthi in one of the rooms showing that rituals were being performed from time to time.
At the end of the day Koen said he was very happy “as we have never lost a vehicle in our existence”.
