A week after it was stolen by a sneaky late-night reveller, Francistown police have returned a stolen car to its rightful owner.
Dichauto Ramolefe feared she would never see her silver Toyota Axio again, after lending the vehicle to her son, Thabo Batlhopi, to help him run his errands.
All was well until a Friday night out in Ghetto (31 March), which ended at Lizard Entertainment nightclub in the wee hours.
As he left the club to go home, Batlhopi, who had parked at the nearby Pit Stop corner shop, found he had been blocked in by other cars, with hardly any room to exit.
Getting free required tricky maneuvering, and the young man feared he was too tired for such.
Spotting his predicament, a ‘kind-hearted’ stranger offered to maneuver the car out for Batlhopi, an offer he gratefully accepted.
He got the shock of his life, however, as having finally squeezed through the space, the stranger sped off into the night, leaving Batlhopi startled and stranded.
A week later, the cops received a tip-off from someone who had read the initial story in The Voice, claiming to have seen the stolen car in a yard in Monarch, Phase 6.
It proved valid information.
“We found the car parked at a specific home and were able to arrest one suspect, who mentioned that she knows nothing about the car. She claimed it was left there by her male friend, who left without saying where he was going,” explained Central Police Station Commander, Mogomotsi Kesupile.
The top cop added they detained the young woman for two days before releasing her after coming to the conclusion she was not involved in the theft in anyway, and indeed unaware that a crime had even been committed.
Kesupile revealed they have since launched a manhunt for the thief and are confident they will catch up with him soon.
Contacted for comment, a relieved Ramolefe said she was delighted to be reunited with her car and praised the boys in blue for a job well done.
“The police have done a great job locating my car. I am happy they managed to locate it in less than a month – I had already feared it was far away in Zimbabwe,” gushed Ramolefe.
