Four arrested as Hawks busted fuel theft operation in Thina Sonke.
Image: File
Cops had to move quickly to avert catastrophe when they discovered thieves were siphoning petrol from a Transnet pipeline that runs under an RDP settlement outside Alberton in Gauteng.
What they uncovered was more than just a spill, a backyard operation rigged with pipes siphoning fuel straight from the underground line.
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as Hawks, have launched a deeper probe into a fuel theft operation after four suspects were caught siphoning fuel from a Transnet pipeline running through the Thina Sonke RDP houses.
The arrests come after security personnel detected a leak along the pipeline stretching between Three Rivers, Vereeniging, and Alrode, said the Gauteng police spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Lloyd Ramovha.
The alarm was raised on Wednesday, February 5, at around 6am, when Protea Coin security personnel arrived for duty. Reports of a leak had surfaced, prompting a patrol of the pipeline.
"While patrolling the pipeline, they arrived at Thina Sonke and it was evident that there was a smell of petrol in the vicinity. Police were summoned to the scene and following a thorough scanning of the area an address was identified where a dug up hole was discovered. It was equipped with a pipe used to siphon fuel from beneath," said Ramovha.
Four suspects, aged between 25 and 70, were taken into custody. Two of them were caught at the property where the illicit operation was taking place.
Word spread fast, and residents began gathering at the scene. Public Order Policing units were deployed to keep control and avert a disaster, should the petrol ignite. Disaster management teams and firefighters also arrived to assess the risk and determine if evacuations were necessary.
Work is currently in progress to fix the pipeline. The suspects remain in custody and are expected to appear in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on Friday, February 7.
IOL News
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