What started as a routine crime prevention operation ended in a gruesome discovery after Johannesburg Metro Police officers uncovered two buckets allegedly containing human organs alongside a hijacked government vehicle at a home in Naledi, Soweto.
The chilling discovery was made on Thursday evening when officers from the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department’s (JMPD) Tactical Response Unit followed up on information about a vehicle allegedly being stripped at a house on Nape Street.
According to JMPD spokesperson Superintendent Xolani Fihla, officers arrived at the property to find the gate open and the front door partially ajar.
“After discovering the front door of the house half-open and receiving no response to their knocks, officers entered the premises,” said Fihla.
Inside the house, officers found a man who told them the vehicle they were looking for was in the garage and belonged to the homeowner.
“After officers identified themselves and stated their purpose, the suspect indicated that the vehicle in question was located in the garage and belonged to the homeowner,” Fihla said.
Police searched the garage and found a white Volkswagen Caddy belonging to the National Department of Health. A database check revealed the vehicle had been hijacked and was already being stripped for parts.
“A verification check confirmed that the vehicle had been positively flagged as hijacked and was already in the process of being stripped,” Fihla said.
As officers continued searching the property, they found a second suspect hiding in the backyard. But the biggest shock was yet to come.
During a further search, police allegedly discovered two buckets containing what are believed to be human organs, reportedly including hearts and lungs. The horrific find has now sparked a major investigation involving both the JMPD and the South African Police Service.
The two suspects have been arrested and detained at Naledi SAPS. They face charges of possession of a hijacked vehicle and possession of human organs while investigators work to determine where the organs came from and trace the property’s owner.
Fihla praised the officers involved in the operation, saying: “The JMPD commends the outstanding and vigilant work of the officers who executed this operation. Investigations are ongoing as SAPS and JMPD work to establish the origin of the human organs and locate the homeowner.”
