(MENAFN- The Post)
MASERU
TWO men, who are suspected to be members of a violent syndicate that has been stealing cars in Lesotho, have been arrested.
The two, 23-year-old Molefe Matooane from Mpharane in Leribe and Tumelo Leoatla, 22, of Corn Exchange in the same district, appeared before the Leribe Magistrate's Court in Tšifa
Mali on Monday.
The
Police said they are looking for three more men in connection with the organised crime
The two were charged with the murder of Pitso Pitso, 49, on December 14 and the theft of his Honda Fit vehicle.
The court heard that Pitso, a taxi operator, was tricked into believing the two were customers who hired the car to a certain destination unaware that he had been hijacked.
Police say the duo strangled Pitso with a barbed wire until he died and then threw his body into the Nyenye Dam in Maputsoe.
The car was later tracked to South Africa, where it was found with a Mozambique number plate, occupied by four Mozambicans who failed to provide proper documentation.
“The vehicle was found occupied by four Mozambican nationals who failed to provide their documentation,” the police say
The Mozambicans claimed that they had bought the car from a Lesotho citizen.
“We have the names of that citizen,” the police say.
The police received a tip-off that the syndicate was planning to strike again.
They followed the intelligence and found the two men in possession of a barbed wire,“indicating they were planning to commit another murder”.
The two young men have been remanded in custody and will reappear in court on January 14
CarSotho, a company importing cars in Lesotho, says several stolen cars and goods were recovered in Lesotho recently.
In a report published last Sunday, the company said Lesotho and South African police collaborated in the search for stolen cars and other goods in Lesotho.
“This development underscores the ongoing challenge of cross-border crime and the importance of coordinated efforts to tackle such issues,” the company said, without specifying how many cars were recovered.
“The recovery operation not only serves as a victory for regional security but also boosts confidence in the ability of authorities to combat organised crime networks operating across borders,” it said.
The company said Lesotho“is often a transit point for stolen vehicles and contraband”.Advertisement
“Criminal networks exploit the porous border to transport stolen goods, making cross-border cooperation critical to addressing the problem.”
Nkheli Liphoto
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