Three men were arrested along Vermikuliet Street in Polokwane on Saturday for the possession of a stolen tractor-loader-backhoe (TLB).

The three men apparently stole the TLB from its driver who they threatened at gunpoint in the Burgersfort area on Friday at around 16:00.

Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba says the TLB had reportedly been loaded onto an abnormal heavy load truck and was transported to Polokwane.

The driver, who had been tied up with cable ties during the incident, was kidnapped and transported in a separate vehicle.

“The victim was kidnapped on Friday, and loaded into the boot of sedan,” Ledwaba says. The vehicle was later abandoned at the Leeukuil plots at Percy Fife under the Mashashane policing area.

“During the arrest, police seized a TLB and a motor vehicle that was being used in the crime,” Ledwaba explains.

The suspects will appear in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on charges of possession of suspected stolen property.