Two police officers were arrested this week for allegedly using their marked vehicles to stop a truck transporting perlemoen (abalone) while in uniform and steal its contents.
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According to the police, on August 10 2022, the truck was transporting abalone worth R500 000 from the Buffelsjag abalone farm in Hermanus to Cape Town International Airport.
As the truck carrying two crew members approached the Baden Powell off-ramp on the N2, it was stopped by two marked police vehicles.
‘The occupants of the police vehicles, who were dressed in police uniforms, confronted the driver and passenger of the truck.’
‘Both the crew members were requested to hand their cellphones over to the police members,’ police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said.
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One of the men in the truck was taken into custody with two firearms: a rifle and a handgun.
The driver was placed in the back of one of the police cars, while his passenger was placed in the other and driven away from the scene.
They were later released in a bushy area of Mitchells Plain, while the abandoned truck was discovered at Wolfgat Nature Reserve, minus the cargo.
According to Van Wyk, the Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes, Provincial Investigations Unit opened and investigated a hijacking case, which led to the identification of two marked police vehicles used by Operation Restore members.
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‘Both vehicles’ aerial vehicle location placed the vehicles at the different crime scenes.’
The drivers of the vehicles were identified, and mobile records were obtained, indicating that they were at or near the crime scene.
Van Wyk stated that both officers were off duty at the time of the hijacking but were permitted to be in possession of the marked police vehicles.
They were arrested on Friday at the Sea Point Police Station and the Faure Anti-Gang Unit.
The Western Cape police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile, stated that corrupt actions by officers harmed the police’s reputation and would not be tolerated.
The two are scheduled to appear in the Somerset West Magistrate’s Court today, charged with theft and hijacking.
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