Police have recovered 12 vehicles, including seven Toyota Corolla Cross, two Toyota Hilux, a Nissan Navara and a Ford Ranger, which were either stolen or hijacked in Gauteng.
Two of the Toyotas were stolen in Brakpan, Ekurhuleni, and Brooklyn in Pretoria, and were recovered in Bergview and Polokwane.
Limpopo police spokesperson Brig Hlulani Mashaba said of the 12 vehicles recovered, six were equipped with tracker devices. Other vehicles were intercepted near the Beitbridge border post, Mokopane, and Witbank in Mpumalanga.
Mashaba said the recoveries were part of a larger operation conducted last week in their fight against cross-border vehicle theft and smuggling operations.
Mashaba said one of the Toyotas was reported stolen in January and was found during a routine operation on Wednesday night at Bergview in Musina.
"When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver accelerated. After a brief pursuit, the suspect abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot into nearby bushes. The suspect evaded arrest."
When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver accelerated. After a brief pursuit, the suspect abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot into nearby bushes. The suspect evaded arrest.
— Brig Hlulani Mashaba
Officers are still searching for the suspect.
In a second operation, officers intercepted a Toyota Rav4 at around 8pm near Shell Ultra City in Polokwane on the N1 highway.
"The vehicle had been reported stolen in Brooklyn over the weekend. A 43-year-old male foreign national was arrested at the scene," he said.
The suspect is expected to appear in the Polokwane magistrate’s court on Friday.
"The operations led to the arrest of six suspects in total. All vehicles and suspects have been processed according to proper procedures."
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