Prosecutor Vishalen Moodley reminded the court about the prevalence of crimes like motor vehicle hijackings in society and its multi-faceted impact, which not only affects complainants but the fiscus of the province and the country.
FOUR members of a car theft syndicate were sentenced to jail time at the Durban Regional Court on Monday, after being convicted for related charges in September.
Their undoing came while preparing to shift a Toyota Hilux bakkie they had already stolen in August 2022, which belonged to the eThekwini Municipality, over the border, but police were able to uncover the plot.
Around the same time, a Ford Ranger bakkie was stolen and two members of the syndicate were also implicated.
Bonani Moyo, accused 1, was found in possession of the Hilux at a carwash and was arrested.
Moyo told police he bought the vehicle from Mukhtar Khan, accused 2, who then led them to Nadeem Patel, accused 3. Mukhtar Khan and Patel were implicated in the theft of the Ranger.
Suhail Khan was the fourth person to be sentenced, he received a sum of R285 000 into his bank account for the Hilux from Moyo. Suhail Khan retained R50 500 and directed R195 000 to Patel.
Magistrate Sophie Reddy handed Moyo, Mukhtar Khan and Patel each a nine year prison sentence for their respective association for count 1, the stolen Hilux, .
Suhail Khan was handed a seven year jail term for acting in common purpose with his co-accused in stealing the Hilux.
Accused 2 and 3’s links to the stolen Ranger landed them each nine years of imprisonment, which Magistrate Reddy ordered to run concurrently with their sentences for count 1.
On count 3, handling proceeds (R285 000) from unlawful activity, Suhail Khan received a six year prison sentence, which Reddy also ordered to run concurrently with the sentence handed to him on his count 1 conviction.
The Hilux was taken at gun point from an on-duty employee in the municipality’s electricity department in the Mpumalanga area on August 23, 2022.
A police officer received information on September 16, 2023 that the Hilux, which had no number plates at the time, was at a carwash.
Police discovered that the municipal marking on the vehicle’s roof was painted over and its chassis number was altered.
Moyo told the investigators that he purchased the Hilux for R285 000 and other vehicles from Mukhtar Khan previously.
He asked Mukhtar to meet him at the Blue Lagoon.
Mukhtar arrived in a Ford Ranger, which was stolen in Chatsworth, and was questioned by investigators.
He confirmed that he knew Moyo and acquired the Hilux from Patel who worked with a hijacking syndicate.
At the time, the Hilux’s paperwork had already been altered and was ready for despatch.
Prosecutor Vishalen Moodley reminded the court about the prevalence of such crimes in society and its multi-faceted impact, which not only affects complainants but the fiscus of the province and the country.
Moodley said the stolen property fed the underbelly of the criminal world and in this instance it perpetuated the market for stolen and hijacked vehicles.
Reddy said the operations of the accused were like organised crime managed by a syndicate.