A luxury vehicle, reported as stolen in Gauteng last year, was found to have been used by an armed robbery syndicate as their getaway during cash-in-transit heists in Bloemfontein and Lady Grey in the Eastern Cape. The Toyota Fortuner was recovered last Wednesday (05/07) by Bloemfontein police during a high-speed chase of five men linked to a cash-in-transit heist in Lady Grey last month.
The chase ended with the arrest of one suspect, Thabo Peter Mkrola (41) aka White, who is set to reappear in the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court on 17 July. His four accomplices managed to evade the multi-disciplinary law enforcement team. The team comprises the Mangaung district police and the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit. The chase started on the N6 highway in Reddersburg and continued in Bloemanda.
“The suspect is in custody in Bloemfontein and facing charges of possession of stolen property, the vehicle,” said Capt. Christopher Singo, provincial spokesperson of the Hawks.
He said the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) in both provinces was in the process of arranging Mkrola’s transfer to the Eastern Cape for a court appearance regarding the heist there.
“The DPCI in the Free State are also investigating the suspect’s link to the robbery at a shopping centre in Bloemfontein in May,” said Singo.
He said the arrest of Mkrola was critical in the ongoing investigations regarding the two cash-in-transit heists, and a possible breakthrough in the use of vehicles in the commission of crimes.
“It was then discovered that the Toyota Fortuner was reported as stolen in Parkview, Gauteng, in September 2022. Furthermore, the vehicle was linked to another cash-in-transit heist which took place at a shopping mall in Bloemfontein in May. The suspects are also linked to a cash-in-transit heist which took place in Lady Grey last month,” says Singo.
He said the vehicle was positively identified as being used as a getaway by criminals involved in the heists.
