Great Audi heist: Skelms bust after robbing dealership
Brazen thieves broke into an Audi car dealership and stole luxury vehicles worth millions in the middle of the night.
On Sunday morning cops apprehended two of the boewe in Beaufort West and Bloemfontein, where they also recovered an Audi R8 sports car and an Audi SUV.
The R8 retails for R3-4 million.
Cops say two more cabbies are still unaccounted for.
Sources close to the investigation say the unidentified suspects gained access to the Audi Centre in Somerset West without forced entry at 11pm on Saturday.
They removed padlocks from steel barricades and simply drove the cars out of the shop.
“They didn’t break anything to gain entry; they even gained access to the office where the car keys are kept,” the source explains.
“The padlocks were next to the barricades. It was around 2am yesterday when the auto theft was reported to the police.
“The alarm didn’t go off, it only went off in the morning, hours after the incident occurred.
“There is no sign of forced entry, no one knows how they got in and out without being noticed.”
When the Daily Voice visited the dealership on Sunday, security guards were posted at the entrance.
They took down the visiting car’s details and then had to physically remove two cones to allow access.
The source says there is only one entrance to the dealership.
“When entering the shop, there are security guards who control access. No one knows how they got in and took the cars.”
The police say only four vehicles were stolen from the dealership, but an insider says more are missing: “There are nine empty spots where the cars stood before the robbery.”
Dealer Principal and Director at the Somerset Audi Centre, Quintin Richter, said he could not comment as he was still busy with the police.
He also would not comment on the exact number of vehicles that were stolen.
“Sorry, man... I’m still busy with the police and can't comment on anything right now,” he said before ending the call.
Police spokesperson Colonel André Traut says two people have been arrested.
“Two of the four vehicles have been recovered, an Audi SUV in Bloemfontein and an Audi R8 in Beaufort West,” he says.
“Two subjects have been arrested and are being detained. The other two vehicles are still being sought.”
mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za