A South African man was arrested by members of the SA Police Service (SAPS) in Mpumalanga as he attempted to cross the border into eSwatini, using a vehicle reported stolen 14 years ago.
On Monday, the 31-year-old man was scheduled to appear before the Amsterdam Magistrate's Court in Mpumalanga facing charges of possession of a suspected stolen vehicle.
The suspect was arrested by members of the joint task team police officers based at Nerston and at the Mahamba port of entry on Saturday, according to Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Captain Magonseni Nkosi.
“It was reported that when the task team members were doing vehicle verification on the white Toyota Corolla, it transpired that the vehicle identification number (VIN) on the license disk does not correspond with the VIN on the body of the vehicle,” said Nkosi.
Further investigation was conducted, and the outcome indicated that the vehicle was reported stolen in Komani (Queenstown) in the Eastern Cape in December 2010.
“The driver of the vehicle was arrested, hence his court appearance on Monday. Police cannot rule out possibilities of adding other charge of theft of motor vehicle, pending investigation,” said Nkosi.
Meanwhile, provincial commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has applauded the officers involved “for the exceptional recovery after more than a decade when the vehicle was reported stolen”.
Last year, police in Standerton recovered a white Toyota Etios, valued at around R85,000, which was stolen in Centurion, Pretoria, five years ago.
“The police crime intelligence unit in Standerton gathered information and employed the services of Standerton K9 to conduct an operation,” Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said at the time.
The investigation led police to a house in Meyerville, in Standerton, where the suspicious vehicle was spotted.
Mohlala said when police officers arrived at the house, a “possible suspect” fled.
An investigation of the vehicle, which had no registration plates, revealed that it was stolen in Centurion, in Pretoria, Gauteng, in May 2018, said Mohlala.
IOL