Man appears in court for hijackings
Cops probe fake roadblocks, blue lights link to case
Three people, including a husband and wife, have been arrested on suspicion that they are part of a blue light syndicate that impersonated police and created fake roadblocks to hijack unsuspecting motorists.
Law enforcement agencies believe the three form part of a syndicate which hijacked 10 cars, including a Porsche 911 and Audi RS7, in Gauteng and Mpumalanga between August 2015 and May this year.
One of the three, Faizel Charloos, 39, appeared in the Lenasia Magistrate’s Court yesterday for bail application.
He has been charged with robbery, theft and possession of two firearms.
Charloos’s arrest followed that of his wife Sadiyya and Mozambican national Abeneir Mavhotso, who were nabbed in May after Mavhotso was allegedly found spray-painting a hijacked Audi RS7 in Charloos’s yard.
According to Gauteng NPA spokeswoman Phindi LouwMjonondwane, during the raid at Charloos’s house, police also found R750 000 in cash, a hijacked Ford Ranger bakkie, a police radio, two firearms and sets of car keys belonging to reportedly hijacked vehicles.
Louw-Mjonondwane said Charloos’s warrant of arrest was issued on Monday and he handed himself over to the police on the same day.
Sadiyya is out on R100 000 bail, while Mavhotso was denied bail because he is in the country illegally.
Louw-Mjonondwane said the modus operandi for all the crimes were the same.
The owners of the cars would be pulled over by people wearing SAPS or metro police uniform, with blue light vehicles.
When they stopped on the side of the road, they would be accosted and have their heads covered with plastic bags. They would then be bundled into their cars and dropped off at secluded areas.
She said vehicles linked to the sets of car keys found at Charloos’s house were later found parked in a basement of a building in the Johannesburg central business district.
She said police were still investigating if the building owner was linked to the crimes.
Charloos said he intended pleading not guilty.
Magistrate S Mati postponed the case to Thursday next week for bail hearing.
‘‘ During the raid, police also found R750k in cash