Five suspected vehicle hijackers have been arrested in the Nyanga area near Cape Town.

Western Cape police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Andrè Traut said members of the Cape Town Vehicle Identification and Safeguarding Section (VIS) were following a tracker signal on Tuesday afternoon when they came across five males sitting in a Mercedes Benz under suspicious circumstances.

The occupants were approached and searched which led to the discovery of two unlicensed firearms‚ a 9mm pistol without a serial number and a .38 special revolver‚ as well as 15 rounds of ammunition.

The five males aged between 24 and 28 were arrested for being in possession of illegal firearms and ammunition and detained until their court appearance on Thursday‚ Lt Col Traut said.

“The Mercedes Benz vehicle was examined and found not to be reported as stolen. However‚ it is not registered in the name of any of the arrested men‚ whom we suspect are involved in vehicle hijackings in the Nyanga area. Further investigations will be conducted to shed more light on the matter‚” he said.