Police warn companies delivering furniture about spate of robberies
"They hijack them, then some of the suspects remain behind to hold the driver and the assistant at gunpoint until they finish offloading."
Rietgat police have warned the trucking industry, particularly furniture trucks delivering in the precinct, to visit the station to request an escort before delivering goods in the area.
Police spokesperson, Stephen Maluleka said they have experienced a spate of truck hijackings where the drivers and their assistants would be held at gunpoint while the suspects drove the truck to offload the goods.
“They hijack them, then some of the suspects remain behind to hold the driver and the assistant at gunpoint until they finish off-loading. Then they later dump the truck before telling their accomplice to let them go.”
Maluleka said the latest incident happened on Friday, and it was the third of its kind reported to their station in January.
“On Friday, January 29, two armed men accosted a furniture truck driver and his assistant. They made off with the Kia truck which was later found abandoned without furniture. In all the incidents that took place no one was injured.”
Maluleka encouraged the community not to buy stolen furniture from the perpetrators who may be looking for buyers to cash in on stolen items.
Rietgat acting station commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Khobo called on the community to come on board to help in tracing the perpetrators of truck-jacking.
“Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of any suspects terrorising community in one way or another or experiencing criminal activity, should call Rietgat SAPS on 071 675 6250 or 012 432 7806/07 Crime Stop hotline 08600 10111 or tip us off viaMySAPS App downloadable free on iStore and Playstore.”
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