Durban - A CAR theft gang threatening the prosperity of the Golden Mile was stopped while trying to steal a vehicle over the weekend.
For months, the Golden Mile was threatened by an alleged car syndicate that had been stealing vehicles from locals and tourists, from uShaka Marine World all the way through to Suncoast Casino and Blue Lagoon.
Metro Police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Parboo Sewpersad said they had been trying to curb crime along the beachfront for months.
Sewpersad commended the Metro Police Trio Crime Unit, who worked tirelessly in observing and arresting the suspects.
“Metro Police officers were patrolling the beachfront, when they spotted a white VW Polo with four men who were acting suspiciously. The men were boxed in as they were committing the crime and that’s how they were arrested. Various car-breaking implements and a number of vehicle computer boxes were found in it. The vehicle was also tampered with,” said Sewpersad.
The four men who were arrested led police to one of the men’s homes in Klaarwater, near Pinetown.
Sewpersad said police arrested a man who was grinding and re-stamping a white Toyota Hilux double cab. Two more men were arrested while trying to escape. More vehicles were found, and they had also been tampered with.
Sewpersad said police items were also found, and the homeowner explained that the items belonged to a relative who had since retired.
Police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said the Toyota Hilux being subjected to grinding and re-stamping was allegedly stolen this month in the Hillcrest area. Gwala said another vehicle was stolen in the Durban city centre, also this month, while the other eight vehicles’ engines had been tampered with.
“Seven men, aged between 30 and 45, were placed under arrest for charges of possession of explosives, possession of a stolen property, possession of car-breaking implements, as well as possession of ammunition,” said Gwala.
Owner and founder of BOSS-UIP Security Specialists, Raz Ali, whose company was contracted to Love Durban UIP and South Beach UIP, said car theft along the beachfront had become intense over the past few months.
“It simmered down during the lockdown but, around level 2, with parking bays along the promenade being used, it spiked. If there was an open parking next to the vehicle they targeted, they would park next to it and use electronic devices that would open the vehicle’s door locks without damaging the vehicle. Someone would jump off the passenger seat of the vehicle they came with and immediately jump into the driver’s seat of the targeted vehicle and drive off,” said Ali.
He said now that arrests and recoveries were made, they wanted to make sure they made a solid dent in crime.
Daily News