A truckdriver who said he had been hijacked at gunpoint on the N2 near Bluewater Bay, Port Elizabeth, in the early hours of Saturday and robbed of an R800 000 load of liquor has been arrested.
The 30-year-old man was detained by the provincial Organised Crime Unit for theft, and making a false statement under oath and theft, in terms of the contravention of the Commissioner of Justice and Oaths Act, Section 9.
Police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender said the man had told police that on 12 May 2018, around 3.30am, he was hijacked at gunpoint by unknown males on the N2 Freeway near Bluewater Bay in Port Elizabeth. The truck he was driving was loaded with liquor to the value of R800 000.
“On further probing, the driver alleged that he was not robbed but instead had agreed with the unknown men to steal the liquor,” Govender said. “More arrests are imminent.”
The man appeared in the Motherwell magistrates’ court and was released on R500 bail. The case is remanded until 2 July 2018.
Motherwell Cluster Commander Major-General Dawie Rabie said, “We will not hesitate to arrest and detain those who open false cases. The cases opened are very serious allegations and require intensive investigation which entail many long hours, manpower and resources.
“These resources could have been fruitfully utilised in more urgent matters of policing. The opening of false cases is an offence and is punishable by law and will therefore not be tolerated by the South African Police Service.”
