Eastern Cape Cops Recover Alcohol Worth R1.7 Million after Truck Hijacking, Mzansi Praises the Police

• Gqeberha police officers in the Eastern Cape swiftly responded after an alcohol truck was hijacked on Sunday, 23 April
• 17 suspects were caught offloading the crates of alcohol worth R1.7 million when they were arrested
• South Africans are praising the police for their hard work but have questions about some of the items found in the criminals' possession

GQEBERHA - A group of criminals who tried to score free alcohol in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, on Sunday, 23 April, ended up behind bars instead. The group attempted to get away with R1.7 million worth of alcohol.

Liquor truck hijacked in Eastern Cape

According to SABC News, police officers tracked the criminals down to a business in Windvogel, where they were found offloading crates of alcohol from the truck.

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The truck driver had been driving over a speedbump on Struanway towards at around 3pm when a charcoal grey VW Polo overtook and stopped in front of him.

A passenger exited the vehicle and pointed a gun at the truck driver, forcing him to exit the vehicle and get into the VW. The hijackers later dropped him off before going to a business building.

Alcohol truck hijackers engage in shoot-out with Gqeberha police officers

According to a statement released by SAPS, police officers tracked the truck down an hour after the hijacking. The assailants ran away on foot into the bushy area surrounding the premises while simultaneously shooting at police.

The police shot and killed one of the assailants and 17 others were arrested after police dogs were used to track down those who got away. Police officers also confiscated signal jammers and cellphones amid the arrests.

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Gqeberha police officers praised for swift arrests of alcohol hijackers

Provincial Commissioner Lt Gen Nomthetheleli Mene praised the police officers involved in the arrests and recovery of the stolen goods.

She stated that truck hijackings are a severe concern for police and can become costly for businesses affected by criminal activity. The commissioner urged community members to report suspicious activity to the police to help police crack down on syndicates.

"We, the SAPS, are vigorously working to crack these syndicates. We urge communities not to turn a blind eye on suspicious activity in their neighbourhoods, instead, they should report it to the police either voluntarily or anonymously," said Mene.

The suspects are expected in court soon.

South Africans congratulate the police on their excellent work

Heading to the SAPS' official Facebook page, many South Africans congratulated their police officers for a job well done.

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Here are some comments:

Vusumuzi Hlatshwayo commented:

"To men and women in uniform, keep up the good work."

Stefano Dimera said:

"Good job. I wish you'd raid Queenstown without informing Queenstown police."

Gabriel September commented:

"Where do they even get this signal jammer?"

Dorothy VanZyl Bogart said:

"The criminals must know by now that they don't stand a chance with our wakey policemen around. Good work, officers. Bless you."

Siphiwe DcBelle Nxasane said:

"My big question is, where they are getting the signal jammers? If it is the military, why they don't investigate and find those who work with criminals?"

Truck transporting alcohol looted while driving, SA convinced driver was in on it

Briefly News previously reported that a video of a moving truck transporting alcohol had gone viral after a group of people decided to take the alcohol out of it.

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The video was shared by anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee on Twitter recently. The video, which is just over two minutes long, has caused tons of concern for many South African social media users.

Peeps shared many responses to the worrying video where two men can be seen throwing crates of alcohol onto the pavement.

Source: Briefly News