Beitbridge police arrested a 36-year-old foreign national who allegedly tried to smuggle a luxury Mercedes-Benz out of the country to Zimbabwe during the early hours of Tuesday morning.
According to a media statement issued by provincial police spokesperson Col Malesela Ledwaba, members of Beitbridge Border Post police were conducting a stop-and-search operation along the N1 north when the white Mercedes-Benz motor vehicle stopped next to Shell Ultra City filling station around 02:00.
"The motor vehicle was driven by a 36-year-old male who was asked for his driver's licence, identity document, and proof of ownership of the motor vehicle, but he failed to produce them. The motor vehicle was searched, and police discovered three different number plates with Gauteng Province registrations," said Ledwaba.
Members of the Vehicle Inspection and Safe Guarding Unit (VIS) were then summoned to the scene and positively identified the motor vehicle as being stolen from its rightful owner in the Kwa-Thema Policing area in Gauteng earlier this month. The 36-year-old suspect was subsequently arrested on the spot for possession of a suspected stolen motor vehicle.
"Upon further investigation, police discovered that the suspect was in the country illegally, and a charge of contravention of the Immigration Act was also added while the suspected stolen motor vehicle was seized during the arrest," said Ledwaba.