A contractor visiting East Driefontein on July 7 had no idea his Toyota Fortuner had been stolen—until police called to inform him they had already recovered it and arrested the suspects.

The man had parked his SUV in the Masakhane Shaft parking area and gone inside, unaware that criminals had already made off with his vehicle.

Fortunately, three vigilant members of the West Rand Police’s Flying Squad, based in Krugersdorp, were patrolling along the P111 road toward Westonaria when they spotted the Fortuner and found it suspicious—even though it hadn’t yet been reported stolen.

As officers tried to stop the vehicle, the suspects abandoned it and jumped into a second car. The police gave chase and managed to intercept and arrest all three men in the getaway car.

Further investigation revealed that the second vehicle had also been reported stolen during a robbery in Florida earlier this year.

Thanks to the sharp instincts and quick action of the Flying Squad, two stolen vehicles were recovered and three suspects are now behind bars.