Car theft syndicate using sophisticated signal jammers exposed

A car theft syndicate that used signal jamming devices to block tracking systems has been uncovered after a recovery operation in Folweni, south of Durban, led to the discovery of multiple stolen vehicles, firearms and electronic jamming equipment. The operation involved Magma Security and Investigations, working as recovery agents for Netstar, together with the Durban Metro Police Highway Patrol and members of the South African Police Service. Teams were dispatched on Friday after a tracking signal was detected.

After following up on the information and tracing the signal, they located a property where several vehicles had been recovered. Because of the scale of the discovery, additional law enforcement roleplayers were called to the scene. The breakthrough follows the hijacking of the municipal Toyota Etios in Umbumbulu on January 20.

During that incident, an eThekwini employee was kidnapped, forced into the boot of the vehicle and held for about three hours before being released. Tracking teams had responded to several activations linked to the vehicle after the hijacking, but recovery attempts were unsuccessful because the tracking signal was being jammed. The later signal activation led to the Folweni recovery operation.