LOOK: Suspects caught red-handed by Durban Metro police stripping stolen vehicle in Kloof
Suspects were found stripping a Renault Kwid that had been stolen this month.
Image: Durban Metro Police / Facebook
The Durban Metro Police Service (DMPS) Tracing Unit has recorded “another operational success” after an intelligence-driven operation led to the arrest of three men allegedly involved in stripping stolen motor vehicles in the Pinetown policing area.
The operation followed information received from Crime Intelligence on Sunday, 28 December 2025, regarding “a group of individuals allegedly involved in stripping suspected stolen motor vehicles within the Pinetown policing area.”
Crime Intelligence maintained surveillance and “continued monitoring the activities and relayed further developments.”
On Monday, December 29, Crime Intelligence reported that “three (3) adult males were actively stripping two motor vehicles at a residence in Tulip Place, Kloof.”
An operational team was immediately mobilised.
At approximately 13:30pm, DMPS members verified the address and entered the premises, where the suspects were found “in the act, removing engines and vehicle parts from one motor vehicle and fitting them onto another.”
Three suspects were arrested at the scene.
Image: Durban Metro Police / Facebook
During on-scene questioning, “one suspect identified himself as a mechanic and alleged that he and another suspect were acting on instruction from a third individual.”
All three suspects were arrested for “possession of property suspected to be stolen.”
They were detained at South African Police Service (SAPS) Pinetown, while “all exhibits were seized and booked into the SAPS 13 register.”
A silver-grey Renault Kwid recovered at the scene was confirmed as stolen and “positively linked to a Lamontville SAPS case (December 2025 case).”
The vehicle was seized by the police.
Image: Durban Metro Police / Facebook
The arrests come as a 43-year-old man believed to be involved in a used car parts theft syndicate was arrested on Monday by members of private security company Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA).
According to RUSA, officers were dispatched following a tip-off regarding a theft in progress at a used car parts business north of Durban. Upon entering the premises, officers conducted a thorough search and apprehended the suspect.
During questioning, it emerged that man allegedly operated in collaboration with vehicle theft syndicates.