Two SAPS officers in the Cape arrested for hijacking and theft of abalone

Two police officers will appear in the Somerset West Magistrates court on Monday, on charges of hijacking and theft.

It’s reported that the officers stopped a truck transporting authorised half a million rands worth of abalone in August 2022, destined to Cape Town international airport to be exported.

PICTURE: Pixabay

The police’s FC van Wyk said the officers who were off duty at the time, stopped the truck on the N2 highway, approaching Baden Powell Drive.

‘’On 10 August 2022 at about 23:58 a truck was transporting abalone to the value of R500 000-00 from Buffelsjag abalone farm, Hermanus to Cape Town International Airport to be exported. As the truck with two crew members approached the Baden Powell off ramp driving on the N2 freeway it was approached from the back by two marked police vehicles with sirens and flashing blue lights and the driver of the truck stopped next to the road. The occupants of the police vehicles, who were all dressed in police uniform, confronted the driver and crew member of the truck. Both the crew members were requested to hand their cellular telephones over to the police members. Two firearms, a rifle and handgun, were taken from the possession of the one crew member of the truck. The driver was put in the back of one of the police vehicles while his passengers were placed in the back of the other police vehicle and driven away from the scene,’’ said Captain F.C van Wyk.

Van Wyk said the crew of the truck were later released in a bush area in Mitchells Plain while the truck were recovered abandoned at Wolfgat Nature reserve, Mitchells Plain with all the cargo of abalone removed.

‘’A hijacking case was opened and is investigated by the Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes, Provincial Investigations Unit. Two marked police vehicles used by members of Operation Restore were identified as the vehicles involved in pulling the truck over. Both vehicle’s aerial vehicle location (AVL’s) placed the vehicles at the different crime scenes.’’

‘’The drivers of the vehicles were identified, and their cellular telephone records were obtained. The records of both drivers placed them at or near the different crime scenes. It was also established that both the members were off duty at the time of the incident but were authorised to be in possession of the marked police vehicles,’’ he added.

The officers, one situated at Sea Point SAPS and the other at Anti-Gang Unit, Faure, were arrested on Friday.

Western Cape Police Oversight & Community Safety MEC, Reagan Allen, lauded SAPS for bringing their own to book.

‘’The diligence and care in which the matter was investigated is noteworthy. It angers me that we continue to have officers who allegedly making themselves guilty of functioning like the very criminals they should be working to remove from our streets.’’

‘’I am further deeply disappointed that one alleged officer is attached to the AGU. This unit has such a pivotal role to play in combatting gang activity. This is a blow to the gut and urged these officers to inform investigators who else is alleged to be involved in this matter,’’ added Allen.

 

Done By: Mitchum George