A Rhodesfield car dealership fell victim to a well-executed scheme on Friday morning when a hijacker posing as a prospective buyer took a bakkie for a test drive and ultimately stole it.
The suspect did not act alone in the crime, as three co-conspirators waited in a street not far from Gindra Motors on Harvard Road.
According to receptionist Michelle Jones, sales executive Marthinus Engelbrecht accompanied the prospective buyer as he took a white double cab Ford Ranger (registration DT 10MS GP) for a test drive. This was around 10.30am.
“Not far from our dealership the driver stopped the car and said the bakkie didn’t want to drive anymore,” Jones recalled Engelbrecht’s experience to Express. “Engelbrecht told him ‘that’s impossible,’ then three men came out of the veld next to them.”
The four men, of whom one appeared to be armed, tried to pull Engelbrecht from the front passenger seat to put him in the backseat. Luckily, he was able to run away to Gindra Motors.
“He was panicked when he got here. Understandably, he could barely speak,” Jones recalled.
A case had not yet been made with police when Express spoke to the employee at 11am. CMS Security was, however, on the scene.
Anyone who might spot the vehicle is urged to call the dealership on 011 394 7908.
