Police swooped on five armed suspects who were in the process of using a fuel tanker to steal diesel from a Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) depot in Watervalboven (Emgwenya) in Mpumalanga in the early hours of Thursday morning.
TFR said in a statement that the suspects had managed to gain access to the site with the intention of stealing diesel at around 02:05.
“The criminals entered (the site) with two vehicles, including a fuel tanker, and proceeded to siphon thousands of litres of diesel into their tanker,” TFR said.
But the police swooped on the suspects after receiving a tip-off from community members who noticed suspicious activity at the depot.
“As the police arrived, the suspects fled the scene on foot, leaving behind their vehicle as well as the fuel tanker. The suspects had already transferred approximately 18 000 litres of diesel to their fuel tanker before fleeing the scene,” TFR added.
Police are investigating a case of armed robbery and attempted theft. No arrests were made.
“The crime scene was thoroughly processed to collect evidence and to possibly link the suspects to similar crimes such as the armed robbery and theft of diesel at TFR’s Lydenburg and Witbank depots. The Asset Forfeiture Unit has also been activated to ensure the vehicles used in the commissioning of a crime are forfeited to the State. This is regarded as a major breakthrough and it is expected that arrests are imminent,” the rail utility said.
TFR commended the community and police for their swift action and called on all stakeholders to report any suspicious trucks or individuals selling diesel at suspiciously low prices. It called on motorists to refrain from buying fuel from unregistered traders to avoid creating a market for the illicit trade.
Members of the public can report suspicious activity to TFR’s Essential Infrastructure crime line on 0800 8000 34 or email Cabletheft@Transnet.net to report any theft or suspicious activities near and around the rail network.
