Stolen vehicles recovered
2008-11-13
Lise Beyers
A PAARL EAST police reservist has been taken into custody, after allegedly unlawfully selling vehicles out of the municipal pound in Paarl. Vehicles that have been confiscated by traffic officials, or have been found abandoned next to the road, are stored at the pound. If the owners do not collect the vehicles and pay their fines, the Municipality eventually has the right to auction them off to the public. Paarl Detective Insp Frederick Rossouw started to investigate a case of vehicle theft from the pound in Distillery Street, after three vehicles mysteriously disappeared. These three vehicles were eventually recovered, after Insp Rossouw followed up information that he had received from informants about the cars’ whereabouts. The ‘new’ owners of the cars, were “flabbergasted” when they were told that they were in possession of stolen property, as they had thought that the cars were now legally theirs, as they had paid a police reservist for the vehicles. The trail then led to reservist Nicolene Arendse who was arrested and is currently still in custody at Pollsmoor Prison. * A Nissan bakkie which was stolen two weeks ago in Paarl North, was also recovered last Thursday. False number plates had been put onto the vehicle, but this did not put police officers off the trail. The bakkie was pulled over in Paarl East with Pieter Benjamin behind the steering wheel. Benjamin has previously been linked with motor vehicle theft. * Car guards at the parking area of Checkers in Lady Grey Street, Paarl, made a civilian arrest on Monday, after two men broke into a vehicle. Richard Akondzo said that he saw a man park a white Fiat Uno in the parking area, but as soon as he had entered the shop, two suspicious looking men unlocked the vehicle. “They started to scratch around in the car and removed several boxes from the back. “They then casually walked with these boxes towards Breda Street. My colleagues and I apprehended them, and they first tried to escape, but we had them well trapped. “The owner was very relieved when he returned, as the boxes contained thousands of rands worth of cellphone airtime, and the men had also found a large sum of cash which was hidden in the car.” Richard Nyati and Nxolisi Kowa were arrested by the police. A spokesperson for the police said that during the last few months, vehicle theft and theft out of vehicles have increased. “We would like to urge the public not to leave any valuables in their vehicles, as this often entices thieves to break in.”
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