SIX people were arrested for the alleged possession of high performance vehicles that were reported stolen, Gauteng police said on Tuesday.
Police Spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo said the vehicles were also suspected to have been used in the commission of serious and violent crimes that including cash-In-transit robberies.
“Four suspects were arrested in Oaklands, Johannesburg, while two suspects were arrested in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni, on Monday, 3 January, 2022,” he said.
Masondo said the police received information through Crime Intelligence about a safe house in Oaklands where there were high performance vehicles and suspects that might be involved in cash-in-transit robberies.
“Police officers from the Highway Patrol Unit, Flying Squad and Vision Security proceeded to the safe house and spotted suspects tampering with the engine of a Ford Ranger. On seeing the police, the suspects fled on foot while shooting at the police. Police managed to arrest four of the suspects.”
He said preliminary investigation revealed that the Ford Ranger had been stolen in Olievenhoutbosh in December 2021 and a Mercedes-Benz had been stolen in Wonderboompoort in June 2013.
In a separate incident, police arrested two people in Boksburg after they were found with a Toyota Hilux and an Audi Q7 that had respectively been stolen in Alexandra and Roodepoort.
“Information was received by the police about a workshop in Boksburg where stolen and hijacked vehicles are stored. Police stormed into the workshop and found two high performance vehicles that had reportedly been stolen.”
The four arrested in Oaklands would appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court while those arrested in Boksburg were expected to appear in the Boksburg Magistrate's Court in due course.
IOL