R12 000 taken in uMhlanga jamming incident
Police believe a car jamming syndicate was involved in the theft.
A GANG of men, believed to be part of a remote jamming syndicate, made off with R12 000 in cash after targeting a car parked on Zenith Drive in uMhlanga on Tuesday afternoon. However, the suspects, who were driving a white Toyota Corolla, did not have it all their own way, as Durban North police seized their vehicle – a hired car fitted with false plates. According to Lt Raymond Deokaran, spokesman for the station, officers also recovered several long-range remote jamming devices, screwdrivers and other items believed to have been stolen from vehicles in the area.
Local security and police were alerted to the suspicious vehicle when the victim, a La Mercy resident, reported the incident.
“When we arrived on scene, the resident told us R10 000 from his cubby-hole had been stolen as well as his wallet containing R2 000. The thieves also took his bag, which contained his gym clothes and shoes. We ran the plates and found they were false and belonged to another vehicle in the uMhlanga area. The actual plates show that the car belongs to a hire company in Johannesburg. When we searched the car, we found the long-range remote jamming devices as well as a number of items, including the resident’s bag. We also found a six-pack of beers in the front seat.”
“The reason we were able to identify the vehicle was because the resident noticed it when he parked on Zenith drive. He saw the windows of the car were tinted and that they were open a fraction. Unfortunately the suspects managed to get away, but we are continuing our investigation and tracing fingerprints. We suspect the men may be linked to a syndicate operating in the area,” he said.
According to the SAPS crime statistics, from April 2013 to March 2015 there have been 1 127 cases of theft out of motor vehicles in the area, compared to 748 cases in the Greenwood Park area in the same time period.
