Jamming thieves busted
BRAMLEY - Two suspects that police have been seeking for theft out of motor vehicles by way of jamming devices are now behind bars.
Bramley police spokesperson Warrant officer Moses Maphakela said at about 8am on 9 July police received a tip-off about the two men parked at the Shell service station on Grayston Drive in Sandhurst in a white Toyota Hilux. Maphakela said the informant had seen the vehicle parked there last week and was suspicious.
Maphakela issued a warning, featured in Watch out for more jamming devices, week ending 10 July, about the suspects with a description of the white bakkie. He said that on 3 July the Hilux was linked to the theft of a laptop computer out of a vehicle. The thieves had been using a Gold Mercedes Benz about which previous warning had been circulated and had since changed vehicles.
Maphakela said the two suspects, aged 21 and 25, had been positively linked to 13 cases.
The owner of the Shell garage, who requested to be anonymous, said, “My staff tipped me off on the Toyota Hilux that has been operating in the Sandton area and I parked behind the vehicle and an undercover policeman and I arrested two of the well-known culprits.”
When they were searched a jamming device was found in their possession.
They were arrested and taken to the Bramley police station.
The garage owner added that they had recently invested in high definition CCTV cameras, and footage clearly shows the laptop theft, with high enough quality to be used in court. He said the suspect, dressed in a suit, could be seen casually taking a laptop from the boot of a car. Although there were people around, nobody realised what was happening. He added they have also installed a device at the garage that detects when a jammer is operating, triggering a siren and a red strobe light. They would also install signs to remind people to check that their doors were locked.
Maphakela explained that the device they were using was particularly powerful, capable of jamming multiple vehicles simultaneously at significant range.
This reporter was given an opportunity to examine the device. The design was simple with two buttons and an on-off switch. It had a battery compartment and an extendable aerial. Interestingly, there were no brand names, serial numbers or any kind of identifying markers on the device. It is therefore seemingly impossible to determine where it was manufactured and purchased, although the garage owner alleged that they are manufactured in China. This reporter, together with police officers, then tested the device on a vehicle and proved how effective it is.
