Stolen car recovered after accident

A stolen vehicle was recovered in Shearwater Road, Wilgeheuwel, on April 4.

According to BCI Security’s operations manager Lionel Gafney, they received reports on various community Whatsapp groups of a vehicle stolen in Muldersdrift in the early hours of Thursday.

“The vehicle, a black VW Polo, was reported stolen shortly after 3:00,” he says.

The next morning, reports emerged that a speeding black vehicle had failed to make the turn at Shearwater Road, and had crashed onto the sidewalk, where it got stuck in mud. The occupants abandoned the vehicle on the side of the road.

“Upon arrival at the scene, we were able to identify it as being the same vehicle that was stolen earlier that morning.”

According to Gafney, security and police officers identified what looked like filters for an air compressor inside the abandoned vehicle.

“The car was covered in mud, and we also saw muddy footprints leading into the veld next to the road.

“We followed the footprints and came across a hired air compressor hidden among the bushes. We suspect the criminals were hoping that no one would notice, so that they could return later and collect the compressor.”

Upon the Northsider’s arrival at the scene, officers from JMPD were removing the air compressor from the veld and loading it onto a bakkie.

JMPD officers on the scene said they would visit the nearest branch of the hire company, whose signage was on the machine, to try and identify where the machine had been stolen from, before booking it as evidence.