Hijacked Gauteng truck recovered in Brits police blitz

Three suspects have been arrested and a hijacked truck and trailer loaded with goods worth more than R2m recovered in a co-ordinated effort by the Brits trio task team, the Operational Co-ordination Centre (OCC) and crime intelligence division. 

Police spokesperson Col Adéle Myburgh said the breakthrough came after crime intelligence in the Bojanala District followed up on information received regarding activities of a group suspected of truck hijackings.

The team carried out surveillance at a storage facility in Rietfontein, close to Hartbeespoort Dam, for several days. Last Thursday afternoon they spotted a truck pulling a trailer enter the premises, escorted by a Toyota bakkie. 

Myburgh said the team kept the premises under observation and eventually apprehended three men using a forklift to offload the goods in the trailer. The men were found to be in possession of a signal jammer. 

Investigators tracked the owner of the truck, trailer and goods and established the truck had been hijacked in Olievenhoutbosch in Gauteng earlier this month. 

The suspects, aged 20, 24 and 36, are scheduled to appear in the Brits magistrate’s court on Monday on charges of possession of suspected stolen goods. 

Acting North West police commissioner Maj-Gen Patrick Asaneng congratulated the team for their continued collaborative efforts and their success in fighting crime in the province. 

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