Paint worth an estimated R2m was coincidentally recovered in Irene, Pretoria, on Friday when police were searching for a missing man.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo explained the police were out in a veld in Irene, Pretoria, to search for a missing man, when a passerby alerted them to a crime occurring in the veld.

The alert led to police arresting three suspects, aged between 24 and 34.

Masondo said the suspects were charged with truck hijacking, kidnapping and the possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

“According to a preliminary report, earlier yesterday [Friday] the truck driver and his crew were making their way from Kempton Park to Silverton when they were confronted by four men

“The men then allegedly drove off with their victims in the hijacked truck until Irene where they reportedly ordered the victims to offload the cargo, namely paint with an estimated value of R2m.”

He said police managed to arrest three suspects, while the fourth fled.

He added that police could not confirm if the missing man they had been searching for had been found.