Three skelms who stole a bakkie at a mosque in Sherwood Park, while the owner was praying, have been caught thanks to eagle-eyed cops who spotted the vehicle and hunted down the skelms.
The incident on Wednesday night saw cops descend on the Bonnytoun informal settlement near Wynberg where they arrested three suspects found inside the white Toyota Hilux bakkie.
According to the 52-year-old father of the owner, who asked not to be named, the bakkie was found within two hours of the incident.
He tells the Daily Voice: “The bakkie belongs to my son and he went to Masjidul Jama’ah for Isha prayers after 9pm. They stole the bakkie while he was inside the mosque and when he came out, he noticed it was gone.
“We have no idea how they started the bakkie, but my son and his friends circulated a picture of the bakkie on their WhatsApp status and they went to report it at Manenberg Police Station.“
It went viral and the officers called my son’s friend and said they had found the bakkie in Bonnytoun.
“They told us there were two men and a woman and that they also found drugs in the bakkie. We were so relieved, because who steals someone’s vehicle while they are in mosque?
“We have been hearing that skelms are targeting masjieds in the area and another car was stolen in Primrose Park at the mosque as well.
“They are apparently targeting people’s cars on a Friday during Jumu’ah and some of the mosque committees now have extra security.”
Law Enforcement spokesperson Wayne Dyason confirms the arrests and says the skelms used a VW key to start the bakkie.
Dyason explains: “Three suspects were arrested in the informal settlement of Bonnytoun in Wynberg after being found in possession of a white Toyota Hilux bakkie which was allegedly started with a Volkswagen key.
“Upon contacting the registered owner, he indicated the vehicle was stolen outside a mosque in Sherwood Park two hours prior to the officers finding the vehicle.
“The suspects, two males and one female, were found inside the vehicle with mandrax and heroin.
“The vehicle was booked into the SAPS Bellville South pound and the suspects will now face charges of possession of a stolen motor vehicle and drugs.”