Five men, thought to be part of a car theft syndicate, have been arrested in Garsfontein, Pretoria police said on Thursday.
The men were arrested on Wednesday when patrolling police stopped and searched a vehicle which had been reported as stolen, Warrant Officer Annabel Middleton said.
“Police found several items used for car breaking inside the vehicle.”
The men were expected to appear in the Hatfield Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
The cars-to-order syndicate was believed to operate from Soweto, The Star reported on Thursday.
According to the newspaper, the men, all of them from Soweto, were found in possession of a Toyota master key and a system modulator override which, once plugged in, would override any car security system, such as immobilisers and alarms.
Police also recovered old engine computer boxes, keys, four cellphones, licence plates and screwdrivers.
The cellphones reportedly contained several MMS picture messages of cars with question marks next to them.
The Star reported that sources close to the investigation believed this was the way the cars were identified and “ordered”.
Middelton could not immediately confirm the newspaper’s information.
– SAPA