Tracker arrests 10 criminals and cracks hijacking ring in six hours

Tracker arrests 10 criminals and cracks hijacking ring in six hours - vehicles and goods to the value of R3-million recovered

Between midnight and six o'clock this morning (March 9, 2007), Tracker and the SAPS had arrested 10 criminals, bust a vehicle hijacking ring and recovered goods and additional stolen vehicles to the value of approximately R3-million.

In the first case, a truck and its cargo was hijacked on its way to Nelspruit and tracked to Hermanstad, in Pretoria, shortly after midnight where seven men were found loading its haul of groceries, toiletries and household cleaning items worth approximately R2-million into a warehouse. A further three stolen vehicles were recovered on the scene, including two trucks.

Vehicle thieves drive over their own man

In the second case, a vehicle was stolen from a residence in Randburg and recovered in Soweto early this morning with three arrests. One suspect was taken to hospital after he tried to jump out of the stolen vehicle and was mistakenly driven over by his accomplices.

"It seems that one of the guys panicked when he saw they were being tracked and decided to jump out of the car. Unfortunately for him, he fell under the wheels of the vehicle," says Tracker's Communications Manager, Gareth Crocker.

The bigger picture

"There is no question that the stolen vehicle recovery industry is having a major impact on combating violent crime in South Africa. If you consider that over the past month or so, Tracker, with the support of the South African Police Service, has recovered almost 500 stolen and hijacked vehicles, arrested more than 50 suspects, confiscated illegal firearms and ammunition, bust what we believe is the world's first mobile chop shop, recovered explosives with suspected links to a spate of recent ATM bombings and made more than a dozen recoveries where a variety of stolen goods were found on the scene such as foodstuffs, cosmetic goods, industrial materials, machinery and appliances, the proof is undeniable," says Crocker.

"If you consider that Tracker alone protects approximately 400 000 vehicles which has resulted in some 6500 arrests in ten years, and that there are approximately 7.5 million vehicles on our roads, imagine what impact we could have on crime if more vehicles were fitted with trackers. It's also important to remember that many vehicle criminals are guilty of other violent crimes such as armed robbery, cash heists, rape and murder."