Syndicate terrorising Toyota owners on the West Rand taken down
West Rand Toyota owners can breathe a sigh of relief as an alleged vehicle theft syndicate was stopped in their tracks.
Four members of an alleged syndicate that terrorised vehicle owners across the West Rand were finally arrested.
Sheldon Grobler, CEO of Help24 Secure, explained that over the past few months, a white Mahindra Scorpio has been connected to a series of Toyota vehicle thefts across the West Rand.
“This syndicate has been operating extensively over several months, stealing Toyotas weekly in areas such as Krugersdorp, Muldersdrift and Roodepoort,” Grobler said.
He added that on August 29, an intelligence-led operation was co-ordinated by Fidelity FBIC, and operational teams were directed to the East Rand, where the vehicle was spotted with cloned number plates.
A multidisciplinary team comprising units from Johannesburg SAPS, K9 Help24 Secure Tactical Units, Tracker and West Rand SAPS Crime Intelligence was deployed.
“Law enforcement officers then managed to observe the suspects as they drove along Modderfontein Road in Edenvale, prompting a tactical takedown.”
He said the operation achieved notable results, including:
• The arrest of four suspects
• The recovery of a cloned vehicle, multiple vehicle computer boxes and one key programmer
• Seizing two sets of false registration plates, multiple reprogrammable keys and various vehicle-breaking implements
• Confiscating two 16-channel signal jammers
