Johannesburg – Police have swooped on a suspected chop shop in Tembisa, where they arrested a 53-year-old man for possession of suspected stolen vehicles.
Gauteng Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela, led the Operation O Kae Molao raid on Thursday, (29 December 2022).
“Vehicles that include Toyota mini buses reported to be stolen in Gauteng and Mpumalanga Provinces were recovered,” said SA Police Service spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo.
Police received information about premises that were being used as chop shops in Tembisa, where stolen and hijacked vehicles were stripped.
“Multi-disciplinary forces of Operation O Kae Molao pounced on the premises. During the search, police recovered cars that were reported stolen in Duduza, Sebenza, Dennilton, and Middleburg,” said Colonel Masondo.
“Several car parts that are tampered with, grinders suspected to be used to remove original vehicle identification numbers, and stencils used to print numbers were seized.”
Colonel Masondo said Gauteng police management welcomed these recoveries and commended the team that works tirelessly to disrupt the market for stolen and/or hijacked vehicles.
The suspect is expected to appear before Tembisa Magistrate’s Court.
“Furthermore, the detectives in Gauteng arrested more than 920 people during the tracing of wanted suspects,” said Colonel Masondo
“These suspects were on the run after committing crimes that include murder, attempted murder, rape, robbery, car hijacking, and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
“More than 175 undocumented foreign nationals were arrested across the province as each District conducted Operation O Kae Molao.”
