Police in Ekurhuleni have recovered a Toyota Agya in the KwaThema area, a day after it was hijacked from its owner around Soweto.
Spokesperson for the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department, Lieutenant Colonel Kelebogile Thepa said the hatchback had been handed over to workers at a car wash when EMPD officers from the Tsakane precinct pounced.
“Whilst on their daily patrols, officers received a tip-off about a suspicious reported hijacked vehicle that was standing at a car wash in Kwa-Thema,” Thepa said.
She said the officers followed up on the information and located the white Toyota Agya at a car wash on the corner of Mehlomakhulu and Hoedkop Streets in White City.
“When the officers enquired about the ownership of the vehicle, the employees of the car wash explained that the vehicle was dropped off by African males, who asked for the vehicle to be washed and they would come back for it,” she said.
Thepa said that the officers conducted a vehicle enquiry check, and discovered that the car matched the description of a car that was reported as hijacked.
“The officers stood guard, hoping the vehicle would be collected, and no one came for the vehicle. Preliminarily reports discovered that the vehicle was hijacked from the owner the previous night, in the Soweto area,” said Thepa.
“The fingerprints were obtained, by the (SAPS) local criminal record centre as it was summoned, and the vehicle was taken to the Aeroton police yard for further processing. No arrests have been made yet, but law enforcement will stop at nothing to bring the perpetrators to book.”
In another incident earlier this week, the EMPD recovered a stolen Toyota Hilux vehicle, after it was left abandoned in Putfontein.
Thepa said the vehicle had been affixed with new number plates when it was found by police.
“Following a tip-off from a tracking company about a reported hijacked vehicle, the officers were led to Durant Street in the Putfontein area, where the vehicle was suspected to be parked,” said Thepa.
“The hijacked vehicle, a white Toyota Hilux light delivery vehicle was located abandoned in an open field and the registration number given by the tracking company did not correspond with the registration plates affixed on the vehicle,” she said.
“The officers thoroughly inspected the vehicle and discovered that the registration plates inserted on the vehicle were false, and that the vehicle was reported hijacked with a case number of Mohlakeng police station.”
IOL