Two TMPD officers arrested in truck hijacking syndicate

Spaza Shops

Tshwane — Two members of the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) and a third man were arrested and charged with hijacking a truck in Gauteng.

The three are suspected to be members of a truck hijacking syndicate operating on the busy R21 highway. According to Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD), Lieutenant Colonel Kelebogile Thepa, they were alerted to the three men who were spotted driving along the highway in a stolen, grey BMW 3 series car that was fitted with blue police lights, IOL reported.

“The men in TMPD uniform were interrogated by the EMPD officers. Based on the suspicion of our EMPD officers, they conducted a vehicle enquiry check and the BMW vehicle came out as having been stolen and recovered,” said Thepa.

The BMW vehicle driven by the TMPD officers was leading a grey truck, driven by the third alleged accomplice of the TMPD officers. The driver of the dtruck had sped off after spotting the EMPD officers, while the TMPD and driver of the BMW were being interrogated.

This led to a high-speed chase, which resulted in the truck being abandoned along the R21 south-bound before the R562 off-ramp. The driver ran off before he was caught.

“The EMPD officers pursued the suspect on foot, until they apprehended him in a nearby bush with the assistance of Gauteng Department of Community Safety and SAPS helicopters,” said Thepa.

The three suspects have been charged with truck hijacking and possession of suspected stolen goods and were detained at the Olifantsfontein police station.

Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Picture: Pixabay

For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com 

Compiled by Matthew Petersen

Article written by