POLICE RECOVER FIVE STOLEN AND HI-JACKED MOTOR VEHICLES DURING HIGHTENED OPERATIONS OVER THE WEEKEND

POLICE RECOVER FIVE STOLEN AND HI-JACKED MOTOR VEHICLES DURING HIGHTENED OPERATIONS OVER THE WEEKEND

POLOKWANE A total of five (05) motor vehicles, including a delivery truck that were either stolen or hijacked, have been recovered by the Police during heightened safer festive season operations conducted across the Province from Friday 16 December 2022 until this morning.

In one of the recoveries, the Scania truck that was allegedly hijacked in Johannesburg, Gauteng Province on Thursday 15 December 2022, was intercepted along the N1 road under Bandelierkop policing area on Friday 16 December 2022.The truck was being driven from the direction of Polokwane towards Makhado by a 33 year old suspect. He was immediately arrested.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the truck, with two trailers was fully laden with a cargo of cooking oil worth thousands of rands.

In another unrelated Incident, a Toyota Raider was reportedly hi-jacked from its 33 year old owner at Maila village in Vhembe District was later recovered in Mundzhedzi village on Friday night 2022-12-16 by Bandelierkop Police . It is reported that the victim was accosted by three suspects armed with firearms who drove away with the vehicle

In another successful operation the Police in Marble Hall recovered a stolen motor vehicle on a roadblock that was reported stolen in Benoni SAPS in Gauteng and arrested a male suspect.

In Thohoyandou, the Police reacted to the information about a white Volkwagen Polo that was hijacked in Thohoyandou CBD. The said motor vehicle was recovered at Mavhunda village following a search operation. No suspects were found. The vehicle was found with a bullet hole on the right door and the driver’s window was smashed. A search for the suspects continues.

In Mopani District under Mokwakwaila policing area, a 37-year-old victim was allegedly robbed of his motor vehicle, a Mercedes Benz at gun point by four unknown male suspects in Motsinoni village in Mokwakwaila Policing area on Friday 16 December 2022. The Police subsequently recovered the vehicle and arrested one of the suspects the next day on Saturday 17 December 2022 in Acornhoek policing precinct in Mpumalanga. The other three suspects evaded the arrest.

The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has commended the members for continuing to give effect on the implementation of the Safer Festive Season Operations.

“As we put more boots on the ground to ensure enhanced Police visibility during this period, we urge our communities to continue assisting in the fight against all forms crime by providing valuable information,” said Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe.

A total of three suspects were arrested during these operations. They are expected to appear before various courts on Monday 19 December 2022 facing charges of possession of suspected stolen properties. More charges could be added as investigations are unfolding.