Investigations are underway in South Africa to ascertain whether or not the car smuggling involving the use of Donkeys that was foiled by security officials had been orchestrated by a syndicate.

The novel modus operandi was discovered when a group of smugglers attempted to convey a stolen luxury car into Zimbabwe using donkeys to pull it across the Limpopo River.

According to reports, the South African police said the suspects fled into the bushes towards Zimbabwe after their efforts to free the car from the sand failed.

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Police Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said a Mercedez Benz C220 was recovered on the river bed close to Musina. The thieves had put metal sheets under the wheels to make it easier for the donkeys to pull.

"The suspects were using donkeys to pull the car across the river‚ but our members were just in time to pounce on them after the donkeys were apparently no longer able to pull it through the sand.”

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Reports indicate that in December last year, a vehicle stolen in Durban was recovered on the same river, attached to a group of donkeys.

This interesting development has got many people talking while speculating that the smugglers might have resorted to that option knowing well that most modern cars are fitted with a tracking device which uses satellite tracking to locate a stolen vehicle, and most importantly, the tracker is only active when the car is running.