Early on Thursday morning (May 4), police officers from the Ladysmith Vehicle Crime Investigating Unit (VCIU), accompanied by officers from the Ladysmith K9 Unit, pounced on a premises in the Mimosadale area of Estcourt.
Months of painstaking detective work resulted in the arrest a 30-year-old suspect. The suspect was found in possession of a stolen trailer and canopy. Both items were taken during recent carjacking incidents.
The first incident occurred at the Midway garage just outside Estcourt, where a Toyota bakkie with a canopy was taken. The trailer has been linked to a Ladysmith case of carjacking during which a Toyota Quantum that was pulling the trailer was taken.
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The carjacking took place at the Engen One-Stop along the N3. The minibus was recovered the following day by officers from the Trio Crimes Task Team in Gauteng. The bakkie has still not been recovered.
A search of the suspect’s premises resulted in the recovery of two items of a police uniform and a military bag that was taken during a carjacking that occurred in the Estcourt area.
A large assortment of power tools, as well as 160kg of dagga was also recovered. The value of the dagga is estimated to be close to a quarter of a million rand and the recovered tools are estimated to be worth R120,000.
The suspect is due to appear in the Estcourt Magistrate’s Court soon on charges of armed robbery, possession of dagga, as well as possession of suspected stolen property. Further charges may be added later.
The suspect and his accomplices are believed to be responsible for a spate of car and truck hijackings that have taken place on the N3 recently. Detectives working on the cases are confident that they will recover the other stolen vehicles and make more arrests soon.
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