Gauteng Police Operation Leads to Arrest of 15 Suspects Involved in Truck Hijacking, Including 2 Metro Police

• Two Johannesburg Metro cops were arrested alongside 13 other suspects in connection with a truck hijacking on the N12 in Benoni
• The police officers were part of a group found in possession of unlicensed firearms, hijacked vehicles, and jamming devices
• A specialised team retrieved five stolen vehicles, including goods worth R3.2 million

JOHANNESBURG - Two Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) police officers were arrested concerning a truck hijacking on the N12 in the Benoni area.

The police officers were among 13 other suspects who were nabbed for the crime and having unlicensed firearms, possession of hijacked vehicles and jamming devices.

Police officers caught after a sting operation

In a statement seen by Briefly News, police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, members of the operationalised intelligence team were given information about the truck hijacking on Friday, 19 August.

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They then placed themselves strategically on the N12 and spotted a convoy of vehicles, with a truck meeting the stolen vehicle's description. After spotting the car, they made several arrests.

In addition to the arrests, Nevhuhulwi says police seized five stolen sedans, two firearms, the hijacked vehicle, stock worth R3.2 million, and a metro police uniform.

Two stolen cars were identified as stolen from Olifantsfontein and Sebenza. Further investigations also revealed that two of the suspects are Metro Police officers.

Here's a video of the takedown:

Police commissioner commends the takedown

The Provincial Commissioner of the police in Gauteng, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela, applauded the team that took down the alleged hijackers and retrieved the stolen goods.

Nevhuhulwi said the team consisted of members of the Provincial Serious and Violence Crimes, Tactical Response Team, the Middleburg Flying Squad, Johannesburg K9, CAP Specialised Unit and Fidelity Specialised Services.

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The police commissioner said the teams did a tremendous job.

The arrested individuals are expected to appear before court soon. The police say they will continue to investigate the suspects to see if they are linked to other crimes, reports The Citizen.

Mzansi dismayed by arrests

@PressPlaySA said:

"We are really on our own, law enforcement officials are now criminals ‍♂️ @IPID_ZA @SAPoliceService @JoburgMPD @RonaldLamola."

@ENemavhulani said:

"Justice South Africa, it became useless. Those people will be out after a week. There are lawyers who only represent criminals, and they are good at that. So, nothing will happen to them. In S A, we are on our own"

@SparksMotseki said:

"Officers MUST undergo vetting and polygraph testing on a yearly basis and must all have a confidential security clearance as an entry point. The top secret ones must be subjected to both vetting and polygraph testing on six months bases."

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Netizens roast Gauteng cop in old video of arrest for speeding: “He’s not special”

Briefly News previously reported that an old video of a police officer being arrested has resurfaced on Twitter, with netizens in stitches over the police officers' antics.

The police officer was arrested for speeding but refused to go down without offering any resistance. Netizens found that after so many years, the cop's antics are still side-splitting.

The incident occurred in April of 2013 during a bust by the Gauteng Traffic Police. The police had at that time arrested over 18 suspects for speeding, and one of those suspects was the officer.

Source: Briefly News