Andrew Royal

539 080910 The SAPS performed a blitz raid on two buildings in Hillbrow and Berea last night to arrest suspected building hijackers. 11 people were arrested at Aiton Court in Hillbrow and 6 at Sussex Court in Berea. The raid was performed in less than an hour at each building. Picture: Andrew Royal.

ANNA COX

THE HAWKS’ Gauteng building hijacking task team has arrested 15 building hijackers in two inner-city buildings in Joburg in a late-night sting operation.

About 10 cars, packed with heavily armed policemen, first descended on Aiton Court in Pietersen Street, Hillbrow, on Wednesday evening.

With military precision they entered the security gates and immediately identified the first hijacker on their list, handcuffing him. They went from floor to floor, arresting another 10, including two women.

No one resisted arrest, but two hijackers were not in the building.

One of the alleged hijackers was a woman who had a small child in the flat. Police courteously asked her to get dressed. Police gently told the child to go indoors before handcuffing the mother.

028 A suspected building hijacker gets dressed before being led away at Aiton Court in Hillbrow during a raid that saw a number of suspects arrested in different flats 080910. Picture: Bongiwe Mchunu

INLSA

The building is owned by an old couple, who do not want to be identified, and was sold recently.

The new owner, who is about to take transfer and did not want to be identified, was there with a bodyguard.

“The tenants formed a committee and decided to take over the building. This is a typical modus operandi.

“They opened a new bank account and told the tenants to pay their rent into it. We know who the leaders are and have been negotiating with them to leave.

“They took us to the provincial housing tribunal and they lost the case. We continued negotiating with them, but they still refused to pay over the rent.

“We had no option but to have them arrested. They owe about R400 000 in council arrears,” he said.

The police then moved on to another building, Success House, in Abel Road, Berea. This time, they arrested four of six suspects.