A team from Gauteng Highway Patrol, SAPS Crime Intelligence, Hawks, JMPD K9 and EMPD Specialised Task Team proceeded to the identified warehouse in Booysens on September 7.
Inside the warehouse, police found several parts of vehicles, including 10 engines that have been linked to high-performance vehicles that were reportedly hijacked around Gauteng.
Police pounce on a warehouse in Johannesburg and recover dismantled high-performance vehicles that were reportedly hijacked https://t.co/Q9NyE41eLE#ArriveAlive #Warehouse #DismantledVehicles #Hijacked @SAPoliceService pic.twitter.com/6YQBPs4UHZ
— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) September 8, 2021
The police have also seized goods worth millions of rands that are suspected to have been stolen from hijacked trucks.
Two suspects were apprehended. A 28-year-old man reported to be the owner of the warehouse will be charged with possession of parts from suspected hijacked vehicles and possession of the stolen property. The second suspect, aged 23, was arrested after he came to the crime scene and offered the police a bribe; he is facing a charge of bribery.
The provincial police commissioner, Lt-Gen Elias Mawela, has commended the collaboration between the police, EMPD and JMPD that led to this discovery.
“This discovery and subsequent arrests will break the back of a syndicate dealing with parts from hijacked vehicles.
Two Booysens SAPS officers arrested for alleged involvement in truck hijackings
“I have instructed the investigating team to ensure they trace and arrest the perpetrators responsible for high-performance vehicle and truck hijackings. We have their loot and now we must bring them to book,” concluded Mawela.
