Captain Bheki Xulu of the Sandton Police Station warned motorists to be on high alert when going to car wash locations.
According to Xulu, in September, Sandton police have had numerous reports of motor vehicle theft at various car wash locations.
Apparently, the victims leave their car keys in the ignition and leave to attend to their errands. Criminal observe from a distance and call the owners of the car wash to inform them that they will collect the vehicles for them, and then steal the vehicles.
The spokesperson added that drivers should wait for their vehicles or give a clear message to the owners of the car wash to confirm with them who would collect their vehicles before attending to their errands.
“This specific criminal activity usually occurs between 09:00 and 17:00. It has happened more than once at different wash sites and there are no specific car models targeted. If you are situated around Morningside and Sandown, be vigilant. So far no arrests have been made. We are still investigating and working hard to catch these perpetrators,” concluded Xulu.
The Station Commander of Sandton Police Station, Brigadier Egen Moodley, requested the community to work together with law enforcement agencies to report criminal activities to CrimeStop on 08600 10111 or Sandton SAPS on 011 722 4200.