A collaborative effort by the Hawks Priority Crime Specialised Investigation and the National Prosecuting Authority’s Assets Forfeiture Unit has resulted in the final forfeiture order of a truck valued at R143 000 on Friday last week.
The case background is based on a tip-off about tampering with a Transnet fuel pipeline around Nigel on September 7, 2021.
When authorities responded, they found an abandoned Nissan truck with a pipe attached to the national fuel pipe.
The suspects left the scene when they noticed the authorities pursuing them.
They seized the abandoned eight-ton truck with about 12 litres of diesel and took it to the nearby police pound for a further probe.
The investigators eventually traced the owner of the truck. She said she had nothing to do with the crime because another individual leased her truck. According to her, this individual had since vanished.
The awaited forensic investigation report will guide investigators on those involved.
The owner of the vehicle is not yet off the hook as the criminal investigation continues.
