Hijacking suspects released
After community members led the police to the whereabouts of eight truck hijacking suspects hiding in the Badfontein Valley last Thursday, the court released seven of them on Monday.
The suspects could not be directly linked to the incidents. The arrests followed the hijacking of a VR Cargo truck and a 4PL Logistic Solutions truck on July 29. After being hijacked at the Viva Garage in Schoemanskloof, the suspects forced the VR Cargo truck driver (58) to drive to Badfontein Road. He said he saw a truck from 4PL Solutions in the bush when they pulled off the road.
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The 4PL Logistic Solutions driver was overnighting close to the Viva Garage when he was hijacked earlier that evening. As the suspects started to remove the tyres, the VR Cargo driver saw the truck keys were still in the ignition. He started the vehicle and drove to the Lydenburg Police Station. At the police station the driver told the police where the 4PL truck was and he accompanied them to the scene on the Badfontein Road. “The police drove to the scene with the VR Cargo truck driver. When they were about to approach the scene, they came across a white Toyota Quantum. They tried to stop it, but the driver sped off and the police gave chase. “When the police stopped the Toyota Quantum, they found eight tyres in it. “The driver had abandoned the vehicle and fled. “The VR Cargo truck driver, who reported the matter to the police, took them to the bush where the 4PL truck was hidden. Its tyres had also been removed. The driver of the 4PL truck was found tied up in the bush,” said Capt Kaizer Moela, spokesperson for the Lydenburg SAPS.
Both drivers had been forced at gunpoint to assist the alleged hijackers. With the help of the community of Bultkop, farmers in the Badfontein area, the Lydenburg and Ohrigstad community policing forums, Sun Security, Phoenix Security and HPG Security, eight suspects, including the Toyota Quantum driver, were apprehended. “I received a call at about 02:00 on Thursday from ITA Vehicle Tracking. They are based in the Western Cape. “Their satellite system showed a VR Cargo truck on the move. “The trucks are not allowed to drive between 23:00 and 04:00 and the control room saw it on their satellite system,” said Jandré Stander, owner of Phoenix Security. The driver of the Quantum minibus also allegedly involved in the hijacking appeared on Wednesday August 4. Anyone with information may call Det Const Madala Dibakoane on 078 509 1284.
