Criminals on the hunt for Range Rovers, warns Mbalula

Minister of Police Fikile Mbalula has warned South Africans who drive Range Rovers to be vigilant on the roads because criminals are on the hunt for them.

“If you drive a Range Rover car, you are in danger of being hijacked. Stay alert!” said Mbalula.

The police minister on Tuesday said Range Rovers were being sold to a well-known buyer “somewhere in southern Africa” for R150 000.

“The buyer we will arrest him … nina phephani [relax] … Please, please, we are finishing them off as we speak,” he added.

Responding to the minister, radio presenter Redi Tlhabi said she knew six Range Rover owners who were hijacked in the past two months, confirming there was indeed an ongoing trend.

In February this year, we learned that car thieves were paid specific amounts according to the car models they managed to rob. A teenager was arrested for attempted car theft in Durban North, and revealed to police how much he got for each stolen vehicle, reported the Northglen News.

The 19-year-old was arrested at the Gateway shopping centre in December for an attempted hijacking.

Captain Raymond Deokaran, spokesperson for the Durban North police station, said the teenager told police he would get more than R5 000 for every Polo stolen.

“Last month [January], we recorded 32 car thefts. Polos accounted for 70 percent of that number. They are extremely popular cars with criminals due to their speed. During interrogation, he revealed he would get R5 000 for every one of the vehicles he stole. They would then park the car off in a certain spot because the vehicle was ‘hot’, meaning members of the police, a tracking or security company were searching for the vehicle. When the vehicle is eventually picked up by the syndicate, the thief is then paid his money.”

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