Johannesburg – A truck driver of a “hijacked” goods vehicle was nabbed with three other suspects after being found with R160 000 worth of stolen goods.
A joint operation between the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) K9 unit, South African Police Service (SAPS), Provincial Investigating Unit (PIU) and a security company recovered stolen goods from the “hijacked” truck to the value of R160 000 on Thursday.
JMPD spokesperson Senior Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said that four suspects were arrested in Brakpan including the driver of the vehicle that was transporting the goods whom the police believed was working in collusion with the hijackers.
Minnaar said the hijacking of the truck on Wednesday was staged by the driver in cahoots with the other suspects. He did not know the company the driver worked for.
“The owner of the truck found out about the supposed hijacking so he reported it to the police. The police then saw the truck in Brakpan because when it was reported at the police station, it went onto the national database,” he said.
However, Minnaar could not confirm the circumstances under which the truck was found but said it was recovered with all the four suspects inside.
He added that the police were still working to find the location of where the rest of the goods were hidden so that they could go and recover them.
The four suspects were charged with hijacking and theft and were expected to appear at the Johannesburg Magistrate Court on Monday.
