Tip-offs help Metro cops crack Grabouw truck hijacking

More details are emerging about how Metro Police in Cape Town were able to catch and arrest two suspects connected to a truck hijacking in Grabouw last week.

The vehicle was carrying over R2.5 million worth of stolen alcohol, explains Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security JP Smith.

"The truck was then being offloaded in Khayelitsha, and we could then intervene."

Smith says it followed a similar incident where a truck was hijacked in Mannenberg, taken again to Khayelitsha, and the stock was transferred to another vehicle.

"From the information we were able to arrest five people between the ages of 20 and 41 and take them to SAPS."

Smith says the exact method of the hijacking in last week's incident isn't known, but it's likely to have been one of two options.

"One's guess is that there is a stop that the driver makes or that he was forced off the road."

Two suspects, aged 36 and 40, were arrested after cops pursued them on foot, and they are now facing various charges, including possession of a hijacked vehicle and stolen property.

It's understood that 10 suspects were involved in the hijacking.

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Smith says intelligence-led policing is often used to intercept criminal activity at an early stage, adding that he personally receives up to four or five tip-offs a day.

“It also disrupts organised crime syndicates and helps us address the issues that plague our neighbourhoods,” Smith says.

To listen to Smith, use the audio player below: