Motorbike thieves hit second Bay dealership in less than a week

Less than a week after five motorbikes were stolen from the KTM Port Elizabeth store in Fairview, yet another Walmer motorcycle dealership was hit in a burglary on Monday morning. 

Auto Motorcycles, situated in Heugh Road, became the latest target when  two motorbikes were stolen in another burglary.

According to owner Brenton von Waltsleben, two off-road bikes to the total value of about R260,000, were stolen at about 3.40am.

CCTV footage of the culprits was caught on nearby cameras.

“They walked up, broke the window and just took the two bikes. They then  loaded it into a minibus kombi and drove off,” he said.

“The alarm went off, but by the time anyone got there, they were gone. I was only five minutes away and they were gone before I even arrived.”

Last week Tuesday, five motorbikes  - of which three were recovered - were stolen - of which three were recovered - in a brazen burglary at the KTM Port Elizabeth dealership.

The store, in Butterfield Crescent just off the busy William Moffett Expressway, was broken into at about 3am.

Three men smashed one of the large entrance windows to gain entry to the premises. CCTV footage of the burglary shows the thieves pushing the motorbikes out of the shop into the bushes bordering Baakens Valley.

Hours later, three of the motorbikes were recovered while two - to the total value of R250,000 -  are still missing.

In January, police warned of an organised motorbike syndicate stealing several high-end performance bikes across the Bay.

Between November 2018 and January 2019, more than 10 motorbikes were stolen – worth more than R1m.

Police are investigating two cases of burglary and whether the incidents are linked to the same group.