By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Johannesburg Metro Police Department says it will institute an internal investigation after one of their branded patrol vehicles was stolen by suspects in Senaoane, Soweto, on Sunday night.
Spokesperson Wayne Minnaar said the suspects drove away with the car after three officers stopped to investigate a complaint about a tent that had been erected in the middle of a road.
When officers got out of the car to speak to residents, he said the suspects jumped inside the vehicle and drove away with it.
“We spent about two to three hours searching for it in Soweto and managed to get it with the help of a tracking device.
“The right front and rear wheels were damaged as well as the front bumper. It seems as if they crashed it somewhere, kept driving and only abandoned it after they realised that the tyre was flat.
A docket for vehicle theft and vandalism has been opened at Moroka police station. Fingerprints, as well as other information, have been taken,” said Minnaar.
While circumstances that led to the vehicle being stolen were still being gathered, Minnaar explained that the engine could not be switched off when the vehicle’s blue light was on.
In a separate incident,three people were arrested in Soweto and Langlaagte in Johannesburg for their alleged involvement in 36 cases of motor vehicle theft, 17 counts of using fraudulent documents, and two counts of possession of suspected stolen property.
Daniel Magata, 37, Thobile Silindane, 34, and Kgaugelo Kubeka, 26, were arrested on Thursday.
Police spokesperson Captain Sam Tselanyane said the men allegedly committed the crimes in Gauteng and North West between June 2017 and June 2021.
Magata and Silindane appeared in the Atamelang Magistrate’s Court in North West on Friday, and their case was postponed to 6 January 2022. Kubeka was released on R500 bail after appearing in the Lichtenburg Magistrate’s Court also in North West. He will be back in court on 31 January.
“Upon further investigation, on Friday, 24 December 2021, four more suspects, aged 31 to 47, were arrested in Mmabatho, Setlagole and Madibogo after being linked to the syndicate. They are expected to appear before the Setlagole Periodical Court on Tuesday, 28 December 2021,” said Tselanyane.