Cape Town - A scooter theft syndicate has been nabbed in Steenberg after the City’s law enforcement officers found at least 12 stolen bikes in a shed.
Safety and security Mayco member JP Smith said the “Sixty60 delivery scooters were almost gone in 60 seconds”.
The bust was made on Saturday evening, when auxiliary law enforcement volunteers responded to a request for help from a vehicle-tracking company.
Smith said the vehicle, a delivery scooter, had been stolen.
“The vehicle was a delivery scooter that had been stolen and was being tracked to a premises in Steenberg.
“Upon arrival, auxiliary officers were informed by the resident that he had ‘just bought the scooter from someone’, but through further questioning, members accompanied the owner to the back of the property.
“On the premises, a locked shed was discovered and once access had been gained, officers discovered an assortment of disassembled scooters and another 12 scooters, all of which had been previously reported as stolen.
“The owner was arrested for being in possession of stolen property, after admitting the vehicles were destined for export and resale in East Africa districts, including Malawi.
“The stolen property and the suspect were handed over to Steenberg SAPS for further investigation.”
Smith thanked the auxiliary volunteers for their work.
“Again, this displays excellent work by the auxiliary volunteers, who repeatedly prove their mettle and deliver time and time again.
“Should additional resources be required to investigate the syndicate and bring to justice all those involved, the City has an outstanding record with its own SSIU and will gladly make such investigative resources available to the detectives of Steenberg SAPS if needed.”
Cape Times