Three men were arrested over the weekend after they were busted with stolen Metrorail equipment worth R14 000.
The two men from Beacon Valley, aged 36 and 38, along with their driver were stopped in their tracks while on their way to a scrapyard in Philippi to sell their loot.
According to a report by Law Enforcement spokesperson, Wayne Dyason, the three men were caught on Friday morning by officers of the Metal Theft Unit.
“The officers were patrolling the area near the scrapyards because they know people go there to sell their stuff,” he explains.
“They spotted the three men travelling in a white bakkie in Portland Road, Philippi shortly before 11am and pulled them over.
GOODS: Equipment is valued at R14 000. Photo: Supplied
“The officers inspected the contents of the bakkie and found 45 rail chairs hidden among general scrap items.”
Dyason says rail chairs are used by Metrorail to prevent trains from derailing and to stabilise the railway tracks.
“The suspects had concealed the rail chairs using general scrap. According to Metrorail a small one costs R275 to replace and a big one is R300.
“The Metal Theft Unit knows which scrapyards buy stolen metal and so we keep a close eye on people going into those premises.
“In this case they used general scrap to hide the rail chairs. But this is also a common tactic when they are going to sell Prasa equipment or drain covers and so on.
“Prasa officials positively identified it as their property and valued it at about
R14 000. At this stage it is unclear where they stole it from,” says Dyason.
COSTLY: Rail chairs found. Photo: Supplied
The 60-year-old driver, who lives in the Klipfontein Mission Station, was arrested with his two accomplices and taken to Philippi East Police Station.
Metrorail spokesperson, Riana Scott, says thefts like this have a significant impact on the train service.
“Firstly, it leads to delays as trains would have to be re-routed to allow crews to repair and this is costly as components must be replaced. It could lead to a safety risk.”