Johannesburg – Four suspects were arrested by the police in Soweto soon after a courier truck was robbed in Ekurhuleni and goods that included laptops, medication, and clothes were taken.
Gauteng police spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo, said the suspects were found in possession of an unlicensed firearm and various passports and were arrested in Rockville, Soweto, on Wednesday.
"The driver of the courier truck was hijacked in Ekurhuleni and later dumped a few kilometres away. The suspects drove the truck to an isolated place where they offloaded some of the goods to their vehicle," Masondo said.
Subsequently, the police collaborated with the tracker company and information led them to a house in Rockville, where four suspects were found.
"Upon searching their car, police found different kinds of medication, clothes with price tags on them, and laptops, among other items. Preliminary investigation revealed that the items are the ones that were taken from the hijacked truck," the police said.
According to Masondo, the suspects were charged with car hijacking, kidnapping, possession of suspected stolen goods, possession of an unlicensed firearm, and possession of ammunition.
Gauteng Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela, praised the collaboration between the police and Tracker company that led to the arrest of the suspects.
Masondo added that the investigation was under way to determine if these suspects could be linked to other robberies and hijackings of courier trucks in Gauteng.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, also on Wednesday, police from the Gauteng Provincial Organised Crime Investigation Unit received a tip-off regarding suspects who were in possession of suspected stolen cellphones.
"The police pounced on the flats in Johannesburg Central Business District and found three suspects in possession of more than 25 new cellphones that included iPhones, Samsung, and Huawei, worth more than R350 000. One of the suspects was found with drugs," Masondo said.
The Star