Cops impound 5 stolen vehicles

2008-01-28 21:04

Johannesburg - Five vehicles valued at R562 000 were recovered at the Lebombo border post between South Africa and Mozambique at the weekend, the South African police service said.

Captain Dennis Adriao of the police's national head offices said police had found that the vehicles were often moved on the same day they were stolen, or the following day.

Police were following up clues as to the end destination of these vehicles but would not give details, said Adriao.

On Saturday at 22:20 police stopped a white Isuzu bakkie towing another white Isuzu bakkie. The first bakkie was stolen in Wesselsbron in the Free State and the second bakkie was being tested to determine where it had been stolen.

The first bakkie was valued at R55 000 and the second at R30 000. The drivers of both vehicles were arrested and were found to be Mozambican men without passports.

At 13:20pm on Sunday police stopped a grey Isuzu double cab worth R277 000. Police discovered that the bakkie had been stolen in Benoni.

The driver was a Mozambican man with a valid passport who was arrested for car theft.

At 22:35pm on Sunday police stopped a white Ford Courier bakkie valued at R80 000 that had been stolen from Brits in the North West.

The driver was arrested and was a Mozambican man without a passport.

Immediately behind the bakkie police stopped a brown Toyota Landcruiser valued at R120 000 and it was discovered to have been stolen in Amersfoort in Mpumalanga.

The driver was a Mozambican man without a passport, and he was arrested.

The men would appear in the Komatipoort Magistrate's Court either on Monday or Tuesday on charges of car theft.

On Friday, also at the Lebombo border post, police seized 812 tablets of Mandrax valued at R46 000.

Police stopped a bus entering South Africa from Mozambique and ordered passengers to stand next to their luggage.

A plastic bag containing the tablets was thrown out of a window.

No arrests were made because it could not be determined who had thrown the tablets out of the window, said Adriao.

- SAPA