Diligent investigations and months of detective work have resulted in triumph for police. A 30-year-old man, believed to be part of a car and truck hijacking syndicate, was arrested last Thursday.

During the early hours of the morning, police officers made their way to a premises in Mimosadale. Combining forces, officers from the Ladysmith Vehicle Crime Investigating Unit and the Ladysmith K9 Unit entered the premises.

After a search, police made several discoveries that proved that their investigations had led them to the right trail.

“The suspect was found in possession of a stolen trailer and canopy. Both the items were taken during recent carjackings,” commented police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbhele.

Prior investigations established that the canopy had been stolen at Midway Garage, when a Toyota bakkie was stolen.

“The trailer has been linked to a Ladysmith case of carjacking during which a Toyota Quantum was taken. The incident took place at a service station 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,” explained Col Mbhele.

A further search of the premises yielded more sinister recoveries. Police uniform, an assortment of power tools, 160kgs of dagga and a military bag that was stolen in Estcourt were found.

“The value of the recovered dagga is estimated to be close to a quarter of a million rand and the recovered tools is estimated to be R120 000,” said the colonel.

The 30-year-old has been charged with armed robbery, possession of dagga and possession of a suspected stolen property. Police believe that the man and his accomplices are responsible for a spate of car and truck hijackings that have taken place on the N3 recently.

“The detectives that are working on the cases are confident that they will recover the other stolen vehicles and make more arrests soon,” concluded Colonel Mbhele.

The KwaZulu-Natal Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Bheki Langa applauded the Ladysmith members for their dedication that led to the arrest of the suspect and stolen items recovery. “Our members have done good work, we will continue with this operation to bring all stolen vehicles and arrest all those found in possession of stolen vehicles. All recovered stolen items and drugs were seized from the suspect, we urged the community to report all stolen vehicles and drugs dealers to the police,” he said.

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