With theft out of motor vehicle cases on the rise in Houghton, a recent arrest is said to be a breakthrough. On 17 May just after 2pm, three suspects were arrested as they were just about to cash in on their next victim.
According to Yaseen Theba of Vision Tactical, security officers have been monitoring what could be a syndicate operating in Houghton. “We noticed an increase in cases that were related to theft out of motor vehicles which seemed to be related to car jamming,” shared Theba. With this said, the company increased their patrols and visibility.
On the day the arrest was made, the company’s tactical team saw three well-dressed men who looked suspicious at a filling station. The suspects allegedly approached a victim who had just withdrawn money from an ATM. “They told the victim that the transaction he just made was not complete and he needed to put his card back in the machine,” Theba said.
The suspects then allegedly took the card from the victim, giving the impression that they were inserting it back in the machine, but it seemed to have not been the case. A security guard from Vision Tactical quickly stepped in and asked why they were asking for the victim’s card. An altercation ensued and the victim asked for his card back but the suspects refused. The victim then allegedly hit one of the suspects on the head.
In between all of this, police were called to the scene.
“The flying squad arrived. The suspects’ vehicle was searched and police found jamming devices, credit cards and a Speedpoint machine,” Theba said.
The suspects were arrested. Two were detained at Norwood Police Station and the third is said to be in a hospital under police guard as it is reported that he suffered some injuries to his head.
Trying to get comment from the police proved fruitless as there seemed to be confusion as to which division was handling the matter. Provincial police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said the case was being handled by the Hawks. By the time of publication, Gauteng Hawks spokesperson Captain Carol Mulamu, said their detectives were not in possession of the said docket.
