Petrol theft sparks arrest of policeman - and a big investigation

When a policeman and his accomplices evaded paying for petrol after refuelling‚ they may as well have put handcuffs on themselves then and there.

Their vehicle was quickly spotted and their activities are now under close scrutiny.

Lt-Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said that at about 9.46pm on Monday‚ a BMW vehicle with Gauteng Province (GP) registration numbers arrived at the Muledani filling station in Limpopo province with three passengers.

After filling up the vehicle with petrol‚ the driver gave the attendant a bank card to swipe for payment‚ which bounced. They drove away and disappeared.

On Tuesday‚ police officers identified the BMW vehicle at Phiphudi village on the outskirts of Thohoyandou.

Three suspects aged between 25 and 37 were arrested for theft under false pretences and possession of suspected stolen property.

During the arrest‚ a police blue light was confiscated from the suspects.

Preliminary police investigations then revealed that one of the three suspects is a police constable attached to a police station outside Pretoria in Gauteng.

A wider probe is now under investigation.

Ngoepe explained: "The suspects might be linked to other criminal activities that were reported around the province."

Presumably‚ the trio are no longer feeling pumped up.