Members of Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) have arrested two suspects believed to be directly linked to a Truck Hijacking Syndicate operating in Durban – Kwazulu Natal.
At approximately 15:59 the RUSA Operations Centre received a tip off that five (5) males in a white Toyota Corolla were tampering with a refrigerated trailer on the R102 Northbound lane abeam King Shaka International Airport (KSIA). All available Reaction Officers were dispatched to the scene and on approach noticed four men speeding off in the white Toyota Corolla. A fifth male was seen fleeing behind the vehicle on foot attempting to stop the getaway car.
Reaction Officers broke off into two groups with one team in pursuit of the getaway vehicle while a second team initiated a foot chase. The first suspect was apprehended approximately 500 meters from the trailer. He was found in possession of an unlicensed 9mm pistol (picture 3) a mobile phone and bank cards. Upon inspection messages regarding the hijackings and drop off locations of trucks were found on his mobile phone. Several videos of the suspects that were recorded inside truck cabins were also found in the phones media gallery. One video identified the truck that was hijacked yesterday (Monday) that was reported at Bellair SAPS Cas 105/01/2023.
The getaway vehicle was recovered on Old Main Road in Canelands following a high speed chase. The driver was apprehended shortly after exiting the vehicle. He informed Reaction Officers that he was employed at an E-Hailing company and he was used by the hijackers to pick and drop them at various locations. A second set of number plates were recovered in the boot. An extensive search of the surrounding cane field was conducted for the remaining suspects, however no further arrests were made.
The owner of the trailer arrived shortly thereafter and informed Reaction Offices that his driver & conductor were hijacked by five men in a white Toyota Corolla last night (Monday) near Edwin Swales. The victims were driven to Kwa Mashu – KZN where a second truck hitched the trailer that was loaded with R250 000 worth of perishable goods. The hijacked truck was abandoned and the victims were released without injury. Upon inspection of the trailer following the arrest, it was discovered that the entire loaded was still intact.
Both suspects and all exhibits were handed over to the Tongaat SAPS for further investigation.
Truck Hijacking Syndicate Bust: Durban – KZN https://t.co/QHEEIN2xdd #ArriveAlive #Crime #TruckHijacking pic.twitter.com/9uKJumPp0g
— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) January 25, 2023
