The Newcastle Vehicle Crime Unit has been very active in bringing to book a man believed to have been behind the theft of around 100 motorcycles in the Dundee, Glencoe and Newcastle area over the past 18 months.
Following up on information received, members of the Unit swooped on a homestead in the Dannhauser area in June and arrested a Mozambican man who was found in possession of a Mazda 323 that had been stolen from Vryheid.
Two trailers, one of which had been stolen from Endumeni Municipality, were also recovered as was a motorbike stolen from Newcastle. The second trailer, stolen from Newcastle, was recovered before the owner could even report the theft to the police.
The Mozambican man had been arrested two years earlier in Komatipoort for the theft of motorcycles.
He was given bail and two months later was again arrested for stealing motorcycles in Newcastle. This time he was given a suspended sentence.
He continued stealing motorcycles in the Northern KZN area and illegally took them into Mozambique. He has appeared in Court and has been detained in custody.

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The Unit has also arrested four men linked to the theft of around 12 vehicles from the Newcastle and Amajuba Malls. A man arrested has also been linked to the theft of cars in Dundee and Glencoe.
One of the men was caught attempting to steal a car from the Amajuba Mall and has been jailed for 10 years. He had attempted to flee from the police who shot him in the leg before arresting him.

Successful Tugela Ferry operation

The Newcastle Vehicle Crime Unit, combined with Units from Ladysmith and Pietermaritzburg, in an intensive operation in the Tugela Ferry area where 25 stolen vehicles were found.
One of the cars had been stolen from Cape Town and the owner was flown up to KwaZulu-Natal to identify his vehicle.
The Unit’s commander, Lt Col Linda Ferreira, has warned people not to fall for a scam going around Northern KZN where those who have reported a car being stolen are duped into ‘paying money into an account to have the vehicle released by the police’.
“There is no such thing. People have been tricked into paying around R3 000 into an account by someone who calls them about their stolen car.
“They have all the information on the stolen car and say it has been recovered by police but need money for the car to be released and towed to the owner. People are falling for this and are losing lots of money,” Lt Col Ferreira said.
Anyone opening a case at the police station will receive an SMS with the case number and the contact number of the investigating officer.
“Before parting with your money, please contact the investigating officer assigned to your case.”
Lt Col Ferreira also warned against people hoping to find a ”bargain imported vehicle”.
“Many of these vehicles are being illegally sold in the country and owners are given the incorrect documentation. These vehicles can be forfeited to the State as the cars have not been properly processed by SARS and customs.”