Akasia scrapyard owner arrested after stripping stolen car after police officer releases it
A victim lodged a complaint that her recovered vehicle mysteriously disappeared from the SAPS pound in Pretoria West.
After stripping and disposing of a stolen and recovered vehicle, a scrapyard proprietor in Akasia was arrested on Friday.
The arrest follows an investigation by the National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit (NTACU), a division of the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTCM).
A victim lodged a complaint with NTACU that her recovered vehicle mysteriously disappeared from the police pound in Pretoria West.
“The victim was alerted that her stolen car was recovered and stored at the pound but upon arrival, she discovered that the car was gone,” said the RTCM.
Upon receiving the complaint NTACU reached out to the provincial head of the Saps Vehicle Identification Section and Safeguarding.
“Following a probe, the accountable officer in charge of disposal confessed to releasing the car without following proper procedures,” RTCM said.
With the information obtained, officials were able to trace the car to a scrapyard in Akasia.
RTCM said unfortunately the car was already severely disassembled, with its body split into two halves.
Surprisingly, the owner of the scrapyard admitted to selling the car’s front end and the related vehicle paperwork.
“The scrapyard owner was immediately arrested and the remaining car parts were seized and taken to the Pretoria West pound,” RTCM added.
THE SCRAPYARD PROPRIETOR WAS CHARGED WITH FRAUD.
Simultaneously an investigation is launched into the conduct of the police officer who did not follow procedure.
The police have launched another probe to check if the scrapyard owner is not involved in other car syndicates.
He will appear in court soon on charges of fraud and illegally dismantling and disposing of a stolen vehicle.
RTCM calls on all police vehicle pounds to exercise strict procedures concerning the handling and disposal of recovered vehicles.
The RTCM welcomes the arrest and urges all citizens to report suspected acts of fraud, corruption and malfeasance.
The public can report to ntacu@rtcm.co.za or by WhatsApp at 083 293 7989.
https://twitter.com/TrafficRTMC/status/1666409583101739009?s=20
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