EL truck driver arrested after ‘robbery’

AN EAST London delivery truck driver has been arrested after he allegedly told police he had been robbed of R54 000 by criminals before later changing his story to say it was the officers he reported the matter to who stole the money.

The 30-year-old driver, employed by Elzea Snacks, phoned the company on Thursday alleging he had been robbed of the cash shortly after making a delivery to a shop in Elliotdale.

After collecting the money, the driver was supposed to place it in a drop safe inside the truck cab.

His two co-drivers went to buy food and when they returned discovered that the driver had been “robbed” of the cash. One of the truck windows had been broken.

They were told to report the matter to Bityi police station and after doing so the station commander – who was leaving for home – ordered two constables to search the truck.

Elvis Doyle of Gotcha Protection Services (GPS), a company employed by Elzea to investigate the matter, said when questioned, the driver told him the two police officers had returned with the money, which was allegedly hidden in the cab.

“A deal was apparently struck between him and the police officers that he leave the money with them and they will open a case for him so that he can report that as an armed robbery,” said Doyle.

He said he had followed the matter up with the Bityi police station commander, who defended his officers, saying they were “Christians”, had long service records and would not commit such a crime.

“We could not immediately open a case against the two officers as they are implicated in the same case we’ve opened against the driver,” said Doyle.

Eastern Cape police spokesman Captain Kaya Tonjeni confirmed that three cases had been opened against the truck driver.

“A case of perjury, theft and malicious damage to property has been opened against the driver who has since been arrested,” said Tonjeni.

“There’s no case against the police.

“[The driver] allegedly lied to implicate [the officers] in the case.”

Doyle said there was no sign of the missing money.

Grant Pocock of Elzea Snacks said the driver’s allegation’s needed to be investigated thoroughly.

“We can’t have a situation where police collude with criminals instead of curbing crime,” he said. — bonganif@dispatch.co.za