The Pretoria West Police Station’s Crime Prevention Unit recently recovered a stolen Toyota Hilux linked to a case reported in Hillbrow, Johannesburg.

The unit was on patrol on April 11, conducting a vehicle checkpoint at the corner of WF Nkomo and Ketjen streets, when they stopped a cream-white Toyota Hilux.

Police spokesperson Constable Sibongile Vuma said the vehicle was searched and nothing was initially found. But the unit then noticed that the vehicle identification number (VIN) on the disc and the one affixed on the vehicle were not the same. The car was seized.

The unit circulated the vehicle’s registration number, which reached a dead end when it came up empty.

“They instructed the driver to open the bonnet to check the VIN in the engine, and it was a different VIN from the one on the disc,” Vuma said.

She said that according to the VIN in the bonnet, “the vehicle was sought as stolen as per the Hillbrow case”.

“The driver indicated that it was not his vehicle but belonged to a friend, whom he called. The alleged owner came and claimed it as his. The alleged owner said he bought it from a lady, but could not locate her,” Vuma said.

The vehicle was seized, and the alleged owner’s statement was taken on how he came into possession of the vehicle. The vehicle was impounded for further investigation, but no suspect was arrested.

Residents with any information related to this vehicle or its theft are urged to contact their local police.

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