Tshwane metro police officers caught their impersonators who allegedly robbed an unsuspecting motorist in Brooklyn, east of Pretoria, this week.

Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD) spokesperson Superintendent Isaac Mahamba says the impostors were arrested after motorists complained that two people were impersonating officers in Brooklyn and Sunnyside.

“The suspects would [allegedly] stop people, search them, then rob them of their belongings.

“While on patrol in Brooklyn on Wednesday, officers were approached by a person who told them that two people who presented themselves as police had just robbed him.”

Mahamba says the complainant said the duo was driving a white Toyota Etios.

The metro police started looking for the vehicle and found it in Sunnyside.

“They tried to stop it but it sped away.

“A pursuit ensued and continued until the suspects’ vehicle crashed into another vehicle and the duo was apprehended.”

Stolen goods recovered

Mahamba says police found cellphones, laptops and fraudulent police ID cards in the Etios.

“The two were arrested for common robbery and possession of stolen property.

“The Etios licence disc did not correspond to the number plate and it was later discovered it belonged to a person in Johannesburg.”

Mahamba says the Etios was also used in the commission of other crimes.

Recently, motorists were warned to watch out for criminals in full TMPD uniforms, driving a vehicle with blue lights and targeting motorists on the highway.

The department says the criminals have robbed truckers.

In October, the TMPD said it is also hunting impersonators who reportedly robbed two men on the N4-R80 Soshanguve off-ramp.

Mahamba says the department believes this unit is bogus, and an investigation is underway.

He adds that the TMPD became suspicious of a fake unit operating in the area when reports surfaced that its officers hijacked trucks on the N4 highway. The fake law enforcers reportedly drove a kombi marked as a TMPD vehicle.

“It is alleged that on October 9, two men in TMPD uniform and a marked vehicle with blue lights and siren highjacked a truck on the N4-R80 Soshanguve off-ramp.”

Mahamba says the men instructed the truck driver to pull over.

“When the complainant stopped, the men instructed him to get out of the truck so they could show him a faulty brake light.

“The suspects [allegedly] pointed a firearm at the driver and forced him out. One got into the truck and drove while another drove off in the Kombi, leaving the truck driver on the side of the road unharmed.”

Mahamba says a TMPD investigation uncovered that the men could not have been TMPD officers.

Public warned to be vigilant

He warns the public to be extra vigilant, even when stopped by police officers.

“If there is any suspicion, ask the officers to produce their appointment certificates.”

Motorists are encouraged to report these crimes to their nearest police station or the TMPD on 012 358 7095/7096.

All information received will be treated with confidentiality.