Detectives at OR Tambo international airport have cracked a vehicle theft syndicate involving the theft and sale of vehicles from car hire companies.
One suspect‚ Prince Maluleke‚ 30‚ of New Eesterus‚ near Hammanskraal north of Pretoria‚ has already appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on a charge of motor theft.
He was arrested after he failed to return a vehicle he had allegedly hired for eight days from a car rental company at the airport‚ using a false address.
An intelligence-driven operation was set up between the members of the OR Tambo Task Team and Crime Intelligence Head Office. The white Toyota Corolla was recovered at a parking lot with false number plates and disc on May 26 in Voortrekker Road in the Pretoria suburb of Gezina.
“Further police investigations revealed that the vehicle registration plates and the licence disc on the Toyota Corolla belonged to a silver BMW. The accused had already sold it for a purported R20‚000 to a Midrand man.
“It has been uncovered that Maluleke had allegedly done this at least once again‚ also in March 2015 at a different car rental company at ORTIA‚ which he sold to certain suspects in Rustenburg‚ North West‚ but was later recovered by the police. It is this method of operation (modus operandi) that led to the police to suspect that a car theft syndicate may be operating at the airport‚” police said.
They said the net had now been widened and police were searching for more suspects involved in similar cases.
OR Tambo detectives crack vehicle theft syndicate
Detectives at OR Tambo international airport have cracked a vehicle theft syndicate involving the theft and sale of vehicles from car hire companies.
One suspect‚ Prince Maluleke‚ 30‚ of New Eesterus‚ near Hammanskraal north of Pretoria‚ has already appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on a charge of motor theft.
He was arrested after he failed to return a vehicle he had allegedly hired for eight days from a car rental company at the airport‚ using a false address.
An intelligence-driven operation was set up between the members of the OR Tambo Task Team and Crime Intelligence Head Office. The white Toyota Corolla was recovered at a parking lot with false number plates and disc on May 26 in Voortrekker Road in the Pretoria suburb of Gezina.
“Further police investigations revealed that the vehicle registration plates and the licence disc on the Toyota Corolla belonged to a silver BMW. The accused had already sold it for a purported R20‚000 to a Midrand man.
“It has been uncovered that Maluleke had allegedly done this at least once again‚ also in March 2015 at a different car rental company at ORTIA‚ which he sold to certain suspects in Rustenburg‚ North West‚ but was later recovered by the police. It is this method of operation (modus operandi) that led to the police to suspect that a car theft syndicate may be operating at the airport‚” police said.
They said the net had now been widened and police were searching for more suspects involved in similar cases.
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