POTCHEFSTROOM – A collaborative operation by the Provincial and Pudimoe Crime Intelligence Units, along with Schweizer-Reneke Police, led to the arrest of a 25-year-old suspect in connection with a truck hijacking incident. The arrest occurred on Thursday, 30 November 2023. The suspect is facing charges for possession of suspected stolen goods and is scheduled to appear before the Schweizer-Reneke Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 04 December 2023.
According to South African Police Service, the arrest followed an incident where a truck was hijacked in Ottosdal on the evening of Wednesday, 29 November 2023. The truck, driven by a 37-year-old individual and carrying maize meal to Madibogo Village, was intercepted by a white Opel Astra. The occupants of the Astra, reportedly dressed in police uniforms, flashed lights at the truck, forcing it to stop on the R507 road between Delareyville and Ottosdal. During the incident, shots were fired at the truck, prompting the driver to flee into a nearby maize field. The truck was later found abandoned on the same road, not far from Ottosdal.
Following the hijacking, Crime Intelligence gathered information that led them to Schweizer-Reneke. There, they observed and intercepted a white Opel Astra matching the description of the vehicle involved in the hijacking. Upon searching the vehicle, police found a money box and a cellular phone, believed to belong to the hijacked truck’s driver. The driver of the Opel Astra was arrested immediately, and the vehicle was seized.
In a related operation in Klipgat, Bojanala Platinum Sub-District 1, local Detectives and Visible Policing members conducted an intelligence-driven operation on Wednesday, 29 November 2023. Around 12:00, they located a white Volkswagen Polo, partially dismantled and concealed in a bushy area. Preliminary investigations indicated that this vehicle was stolen during a house robbery in Soshanguve earlier that day. No arrests have been made in this case, and investigations are ongoing.
The Provincial Commissioner of North West, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, commended the diligence and collaboration of all involved teams. He also expressed gratitude to the community for their role in assisting the police.