Zimbabwean Man Arrested In SA For Driving Stolen Toyota RAV4 Vehicle

A 38-year-old Zimbabwean national was arrested in South Africa on Sunday evening during an intelligence-driven operation where a stolen Toyota RAV4 vehicle was recovered from him in Limpopo Province.

IOL reported Mpumalanga provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, as saying the vehicle was reported stolen at Boschkop, in the Gauteng Province. He said:

A report indicates that the information regarding a suspicious vehicle was provided by the national crime intelligence structure of the SA Police Service, and the team to carry out the operation consisted of members from the Middelburg flying squad, Sekhukhune flying squad, Tracker Connect, Modimolle flying squad, and Roedtan SAPS.

The teams followed up on the details of the suspicious vehicle, leading the team to N11 Road in the Roedtan area in Limpopo, where a green Toyota RAV4 with one occupant was intercepted. Said Mohlala:

It is said that the said car was coming from R25 Road in Bronkhorstspruit, and it was fitted with Gauteng registration number plates.

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On further investigation, it was discovered that the registration plates fitted to the Toyota RAV4 were cloned. Added Mohlala:

The members also unearthed that the vehicle was reported stolen at Boschkop, in the Gauteng province, this month hence the driver was arrested and charged for possession of a suspected stolen motor vehicle.

According to a report by the South African Police Service (SAPS), intelligence information indicates that daily between three (3) and (6) vehicles cross the Limpopo River and are smuggled into Zimbabwe

The syndicate make use of smugglers along the river. The smugglers do not belong to the syndicate but however, drive the vehicles across the river and once the vehicles have crossed the other person will receive the vehicle in Zimbabwe for further processing

The smugglers, who stay around the villages along the Limpopo River, allegedly charge between R5000.00 and R15 000 per vehicle to assist in smuggling.

The stolen vehicles are sold in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi.

More: Pindula News