A stolen and recovered Mercedes-Benz, found fitted with a fake licence disc and fake number plates, has offered a glimpse into the manner in which hijacking syndicates operate and how easily they are able to get away with crimes because of technological advancements.
Specialist investigator Mike Bolhuis gave IOL insight, based on his many years investigating serious, violent, and cyber crimes, about the methods hijackers use to hide their identity and camouflage stolen vehicles.
On Tuesday, Marshall Security reported that their teams recovered a stolen Mercedes-Benz C200 on Sinembe Crescent, just off uMhlanga Rocks Drive, within the Somerset Park area.
It was reported that the car was stolen in Reservoir Hills last week.
"A short while later, the vehicle was located and found abandoned, and upon further investigation, it was established that the vehicle was fitted with false plates and a false licence disc and that the vehicle was sought by the SAPS," Marshall Security said.
But a fake disc and plates are just the tip of the hijacking iceberg, according to Bolhuis, as technological advancements on the side of the criminals and an ill-equipped police force have made it easy for criminals to get away.
Bolhuis said the manner in which criminals hide their identities and switch identities is a form of cybercrime.
"The criminals will use fake identities themselves and use fake information on the vehicles. They have a number of contacts to do so. Successful criminals are linked to crooked authorities, crooked businessmen, and crooked institutions who assist them with whatever they need in order to slip past and under the radar.
"Cyber crime is the biggest in the world, and this falls under cyber crime, so they can easily have fake documents every day. This is why it is so difficult to catch these criminals, and they know that.
"The only way to catch them is by witnesses, forensic information, or by digitally tracking them. They know the authorities have an infrastructure problem and have no bite when it comes to digital crimes, so they take advantage of this," Bolhuis said.
Once a car gets stolen, criminals do a number of things to it, depending on their need for the vehicle.
It could be that they are fulfilling an order for a high-end vehicle, like a Toyota Land Cruiser or Lexus SUV.
In most cases, criminals steal a vehicle to use it in the commission of another crime, Bolhuis explained.
"The criminals on the high end level of crimes do not keep the vehicle for long. In other cases, we see criminals using stolen vehicles to crash into cash-transit vehicles or use them for an ATM bombing, sometimes leaving the car on the scene.
"My biggest concern in this regard is the gathering of forensic information, which is not often done but can lead to more accurate results when trying to catch a criminal," Bolhuis explained.
Forensic information from a car could include saliva from a person’s cough or sneeze or a hair follicle that may have fallen off their hand or head, to name a few.
Other types of forensic information to deduce from a stolen car could include the dirt on the wheels, which can be used to track the whereabouts of the vehicles and thereby reverse engineer their movements with the stolen car.
The latest crime statistics by the SAPS, measuring the period from April to June 2023, show that 9,081 motor vehicles and motorcycles were reported stolen during this period.
For "carjackings" specifically, 2,591 sedans, coupes, and hatchbacks were stolen, while 1,582 bakkies were reported stolen.
The Western Cape and Gauteng regions recorded the largest number of carjackings.
IOL