Johannesburg - A truck transporting 35 000 litres of petrol was hijacked on Impala Road in Protea Glen, Soweto, on Tuesday and was later found abandoned without its more than R400 000 cargo.
The hijacking took place in the early hours. Police spokesman Warrant Officer Kay Makhubela said the driver was hijacked by four men while on his way from Alrode to Sebokeng in the Vaal.
“He said they stopped him on the freeway and dropped him off in Brakpan.”
Meanwhile, Engen confirmed they had been made aware of the hijacking of a bulk fuel tanker belonging to a third party.
Spokesman Gavin Smith said the incident took place shortly after the truck left the depot to deliver fuel to a customer in Sebokeng.
Last month, police arrested three suspects on the same road shortly after a cigarette delivery truck was hijacked in Kagiso on the West Rand.
It is alleged that the suspects offloaded the cigarettes onto their getaway vehicle, a minibus taxi. They were arrested shortly after police received a tip-off and stopped the vehicle to conduct a search.
On Tuesday, Makhubela said these incidents were a concern to the police as most of these trucks were hijacked in other areas, only to be abandoned in Soweto.
”What is worrying us is the fact that these hijackings don’t take place here.
“The suspects are now using this road as a dropping-off zone. We are appealing to anyone who has information about what happened to the petrol to contact the nearest police station,” said Makhubela.
The Star