Cops nab alien driving 'bomb'
2003-09-15 09:29
Pietermaritzburg - Provincial traffic police arrested an unlicensed, suspected illegal immigrant on Sunday for allegedly driving a truck laden with 20 tons of explosive fireworks on the N3.
The owner of the truck later told the police the vehicle had been hijacked.
The truck and its cargo was en route from Gauteng to Durban. It was intercepted by police doing routine checks near the Market Road off-ramp.
Captain Willie Venter of the bomb disposal unit described the cargo as "highly explosive".
"Had it caught alight, it could have exploded and caused serious damage," said Venter.
He said police were trying to establish the destination of the cargo.
Inspector Rajen Chinaboo of the road traffic inspectorate described the truck as "unroadworthy".
He said the owner of the vehicle, a Gauteng businessman identified as Naicker, said it was supposed to be in for repairs.
"It has smooth tyres, the brakes on the trailer are not functioning and the steering wheel is faulty. This was a real danger on the road," said Chinaboo.
According to him, Naicker confirmed his mechanic had been driving the vehicle. Naicker later told the police the truck had been hijacked at Warden.
The driver, a Mozambican with no driver's licence or residence permit, was arrested. He said the truck broke down at Warden and was abandoned by its driver.
The Mozambican apparently fixed the truck and set off to drive it to Durban.
He allegedly told police he did not know where the vehicle was heading, but was hoping to be given directions by cellphone.