RICHARDS BAY - Criminals in the Umkhanyakude district, north of Richards Bay and on the Swaziland and Mozambique borders, have embarked on a new modus operandi to transport stolen vehicles, the South African Police Service (SAPS) in KwaZulu-Natal said.
This was discovered by Jozini SAPS officers who were conducting crime prevention duties in the early hours of Saturday morning, spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said in a statement.
Police spotted a truck in the Jozini CBD and instructed the driver to pull over. The driver stopped the truck and fled on foot, leaving the vehicle behind. The police officers opened the truck's closed cargo area and a search was conducted.
"A Toyota Hilux bakkie was found in the truck. When an investigation was conducted, police discovered that the bakkie was stolen from a parking lot on Waterkant Road in Durban North on Wednesday."
Both vehicles were impounded at the Jozini Police Station. Police would "continue with their determination to curb the theft and transportation of stolen vehicles in the area". The alertness of the police officers which resulted in the recovery of the vehicle was commended. Extensive investigations were being conducted to arrest the criminals responsible for these crimes, Mbele said.
In an unrelated incident in Durban, a 43-year-old man is in custody at Durban Central Police Station facing two charges of business burglary and possession of suspected stolen property. He would appear in the Durban Magistrates' Court on Monday, Mbele said.
The suspect was arrested by police officers from Durban Central who were conducting crime prevention duties on the night of Thursday, July 16. Police spotted three men carrying an air-conditioning unit n McKenzie Road in Morningside and approached them. The men fled on foot when they spotted the police officers.
Police apprehended a 43-year-old man and recovered three air-conditioning units stolen from a business premises in McKenzie Road. A case of burglary was opened at Durban Central and the suspect was detained.
Following an intensive investigation, police linked the suspect to another business burglary case that occurred on July 12 in Ivy Road. The suspect would also be profiled to determine whether he could be linked to other burglary cases in the area, Mbele said.