Four suspects, arrested by the Hawks in Pretoria for theft and possession of suspected stolen motor vehicle parts worth an estimated R1.1m, will appear in a local court today.

Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale says the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit received information from the Ford Motor Vehicle Company of South Africa (FMCSA) about the possible theft of engines.

He explains that following up on the information, it was later established that the theft allegedly occurred on the premises of the FMCSA where a truck from a courier company was used to load racks with about 36 engines.

“After the truck was loaded, it exited the premises without following proper procedure and later went to offload at Charles Leyds Street in Eersterust.”

Mogale says the racks and forklift were found at the drop-off address without the engines.

Two elderly people were found at the drop-off and explained that they did not know about the cargo.

Two FMCSA security officers, a mechanical repair shop owner and the truck driver were subsequently arrested for the possession of the suspected stolen property.