Police in Welkom, the second-largest city in Free State, have arrested a taxi driver and a security officer for allegedly stealing diesel that belongs to the state.
According to police, 25 litres of diesel containers and a pipe used to allegedly drain diesel from police vehicles were found after a 37-year-old taxi driver was blocked and searched by police officers.
The incident took place in the early hours of Monday morning while officers attached to the Welkom Client Service Centre were attending to a complaint.
Upon noticing suspicious activity, the officers conducted an inspection and spotted a minibus in front of the SA Police Service state garage.
“Members approached but the vehicle pulled away in haste,” said police in a statement.
“The vehicle was blocked and searched. Two 25-litre diesel containers and a pipe used to allegedly drain diesel from police vehicles were found.”
After conducting further investigation, police were led to a 40-year-old man who works as a security guard at the state garage.
Both the security officer and the taxi driver were arrested and are facing charges of possession of stolen state property and theft.
They are expected to make an appearance in the Welkom magistrate’s court soon.
Meanwhile, four suspects were arrested in KwaZulu-Natal after they were found in possession of firearms, ammunition, and a vehicle allegedly hijacked at the weekend.
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said a Toyota Avanza, which was reported hijacked in Port Shepstone earlier on Saturday, was spotted on the N2 northbound in Umgababa.
Law-enforcement agencies were subsequently activated.
“The driver of the vehicle ignored police’s instructions for him to stop and a high-speed chase ensued,” said Netshiunda.
“The driver of the suspects’ vehicle got out of the vehicle while it was still in motion and the vehicle veered off the road.
“Three men were found inside the vehicle with two firearms and ammunition. Preliminary investigations revealed that one of the firearms was stolen during a house robbery at Mzamba in the Eastern Cape earlier this month.”
Coceka Magubeni
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