Ladysmith KZN: 7 arrested after discovery of ‘chop shop’ by police
Inside the workshop, police found pieces of the stolen taxi, pieces of a vehicle that was hijacked in Colenso, as well as pieces of other vehicles
Seven suspects have been arrested and will be appearing in court after a ‘chop shop’ was found by police in the Nhliwe area of Weenen.
The arrests were made during an operation that was carried out by the Vryheid Task Team early on Wednesday morning (January 27), following up on information regarding suspects involved in a vehicle theft case.
It is alleged that on November 26, 2020, a man parked his vehicle in his yard in the Bhekezulu area of Vryheid, securely locking the gate before going to sleep. The following morning, he woke up to find that his taxi was gone and the gate was broken.
A ‘theft of vehicle’ case was opened for investigation at Vryheid SAPS and a team of officers headed out to the Nhliwe area, where a stolen bakkie was found at a workshop. It was later established that the bakkie was stolen in Alberton, Gauteng. Inside the suspect’s workshop, police found pieces of the stolen taxi, pieces of a vehicle that was hijacked in Colenso, as well as pieces of other vehicles.
A total of seven suspects aged between 30 and 68 were placed under arrest. Two of the suspects will be facing charges of ‘theft of a motor vehicle’, while the other five will be appearing before the Colenso Magistrate’s Court to face charges of possession of stolen property.
A few weeks ago, Weenen SAPS and Pietermaritzburg Public Order Police (POP) recovered a VW Polo in the Sahlumbe area of Weenen. The suspects fled the scene upon seeing the police officers. Preliminary investigations revealed that the vehicle was stolen in Mondlo.
The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Khombinkosi Jula, praised the team for the arrests and uncovering the ‘chop shop’. “The suspects will be profiled to check if they are linked to other thefts of vehicles, as well as carjacking cases,” he said.
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