Pretoria - Three bogus cops who allegedly hijacked a truck transporting cigarettes worth R4 million while wearing police uniform have been arrested.
Police said four other suspects were still at large, but three suspects, among them two foreign nationals, had been arrested.
In the video of the alleged hijacking, the alleged bogus cops - some of whom were in civilian clothes, were caught on camera hijacking a truck driver transporting cigarettes worth R4m at Koppies in the Free State.
According to the truck owner, who asked not to be named out of fear, said the driver was on his way to deliver the stock in Cape Town on Tuesday when he was flagged down by a uniformed police officer.
The owner said her company had booked an escort for the truck and it was supposed to follow the driver out of Johannesburg.
Video: Supplied
“The driver has now come to say that he didn’t even see the escort, in fact, he did see them, but they were very far and he doesn’t know when they left him, but they were supposed to follow him out of Joburg, which we know didn’t happen,” she said.
She said when the driver was in Vereeniging, he was flagged down by a man wearing police uniform.
She said the driver stopped and the supposed bogus cop said he would give him a fine as the tyres were worn.
“The driver thought this was weird because he knew he had new tyres, so he was sceptical and pushed the panic button,’’ she explained.
In a video seen by IOL, after the bogus inspection, the truck driver is seen trying to get back into his truck but he is pulled out of the truck by supposed bogus cop in police uniform, who then escorts him to a VW Polo.
The alleged hijacking is completed when another suspect is seen getting out of the Polo and running towards the truck, before driving off.
Police said the suspects drove with the driver for about 30 km until he was forced into another vehicle, a white Toyota Corolla.
The alleged bogus cops had tied his hands with cable ties and drove another 20km and left him under a bridge.
Free State provincial police spokesperson, Sergeant Josephine Rani, said police received a lookout on Tuesday around 1pm for a white Toyota Corolla alleged to be involved in hijackings of trucks and courier vehicles
“The members proceeded to Koppies, and when the occupants of the Corolla spotted the police, they sped off. A chase ensued between the police and the suspects until they managed to stop.
“The suspects were apprehended and taken to Koppies police station for further questioning,” she said.
According to Rani, the truck driver came to the police station accompanied by a security officer. He identified the suspects as the men who had kidnapped and hijacked him.
Rani said three suspects between the ages 48 and 54, of whom two are foreign nationals, are in police custody.
She added that four others were still on the run.
The truck was recovered abandoned on the N1, still loaded with cigarettes.
The three suspects are expected to appear before the Koppies Magistrate’s Court soon on charges of hijacking and kidnapping.
IOL