The brave and resolute captain Frans Matlhare from Kuruman Police Station and his two colleagues from the North West, warranty officers Kemoletile Samuel Paul and Sipho Gilbert Lisa broke the seemingly impossible mission. Northern Cape businessmen had become a soft target for a syndicate delegated by another group of Pakistani businesspeople to hijack their stock and money from designated towns along the N14 highway stretching from Klerksdorp to Kuruman. This operation was so sophisticated but the three officers took three days and sleepless nights to get to the bottom of the modus operandi.

 

This follows after the sad hi-jacking of a Toyota truck full of stock worth R250 000 from Johannesburg en route to Kuruman on August 16, 2018 just twenty kilometres before Vryburg. Mr Saleem Wris and his colleague Mohhamad Imran stopped their truck at the fateful spot after nature called.

 

As they stopped a Mercedes Benz instantly parked in front of them at around 14: 30.

 

With about four occupants who swiftly came out carrying pistols, the group demanded phones, bank cards and Ids which the victims readily surrendered. After the surrender the two were pepper-sprayed and forced into the boot of the Mercedes Benz. The detention of the two in the boot lasted six hours and they were released twenty kilometres away from the small town of Coligny in the night where they reported the incident to the police station and let their next of kin know of their ordeal.

 

Friends and relatives in Kuruman had been communicating with the two earlier on their way but were perturbed when all of a sudden, they were unreachable. After the revelations friends called the tracker company to assist in locating the vehicle. The tracker people located the truck and finally manhandled the driver around Coligny the following day. However the stock had been offloaded in Mafeking also located by the tracker as they traced the movement of the vehicle.

 

As the insidious activities were taking place Kuruman Police Station was made aware of the developments after provincial deputy commissioner brigadier Phiwayinkosi Mnguni was contacted. He then liaised with the station commander Brigadier Baloyi and they assigned Captain Frans Matlhare to go and investigate the incidence.

 

As Captain Matlhare entered the North West province he worked closely with the two detectives and drove to Coligny police station where he met the suspect and “interrogated him thoroughly” until he disclosed the necessary information. Captain Matlhare said that he believed this was an organised crime syndicate along the route.

 

 Logistically when the truck had been offloaded from Mafikeng by the suspect, the truck was destined to be dumped around Coligny along its original route so that police could not ever suspect of going to investigate Mafikeng as the target area, the tracker outwitted the plan because it was faster than the schemers.

 

 The trio later escorted the two victims to Vryburg on their way to Kuruman. They then proceeded to Mafikeng. On arrival in Mafikeng they located where the hijacked stock was hidden at a private place where a Pakistani was arrested and the stock confiscated and taken to the police station. A solicitous language was introduced by some Pakistanis but the incorruptible captain said that his handcuffs were ready to arrest such dirty-minded people.

 

The hijacked goods are sold for a song to fellow Pakistanis who allegedly delegate locals to manhandle fellow businessmen on the N14 between Klerksdorp and Kuruman.During the victims’ boot detention, the suspects were heard speaking in English to their “client” telling him that they have better stock for him. However, the client had forgotten the supplier as he suggested he had many suppliers in his register.

 

The Kathu Gazette journalist was invited by the police to attend to the last episode of the hijacking saga when he travelled to Mafikeng to witness the handing over of the stolen electronic goods, cellphones and accessories by the Mafikeng police to the victims that were later transported to Kuruman.

 

 

 

061 Flanked by North West Vryburg based detectives Warranty officer Kemoletile Samuel Paul (left) and Warranty officer Sipho Gibert Lisa (right) is captain Frans Matlhare of Kuruman in Mafeking Police station after the successful operation

 

071 The recovered stock by the trio that was hijacked from N14 route being reloaded at Mafeking police station to Kuruman town.