Imagine finding your stolen car after 22 years, this is what happen to a man in South Africa. Derick Goosen could be forgiven for losing hope that he would ever be reunited with his 1988 Toyota Corolla, which was stolen from a complex in Wonderboom in 1993.Finding the vehicle seemed like a lost cause. But thanks to some crafty and diligent police work, Goosen has found his long lost love.When Goosen, who now lives in Rietfontein, returned from a night out with his friend, his car was nowhere to be found. For months he searched in vain.
He lost all hope.Little did he know that his beloved Corolla had been taken to Limpopo and its engine and vehicle identification numbers had been fraudulently changed, making it difficult to trace.Goosen said he remembered vividly how his heart sank when he arrived home that night and didn’t find his car where he‘d left it.“I was staying in a complex in Wonderboom. Back then we didn’t have a fence around the complex.”The 44-year-old said he rushed to Moot police station and reported it stolen 22 years ago and had never heard from the police about the case since.At least not until November last year, when police in Limpopo called him, claiming to have tracked down the Corolla in a roadblock. They asked him to travel to Polokwane to identify the vehicle.His vehicle had been sold to somebody in Limpopo, and during a festive season operation by police, one of the officers noticed something was amiss.The car was sold to a police officer who said “She had all the paperwork indicating she was the owner, but she didn’t know it was a stolen car and the car information had been changed.” Police spokeswoman Colonel Ronel Otto said upon inspection, the car’s engine number appeared to have been tampered with, which raised the alarm.Goosen said he was indescribably ecstatic and still in disbelief.“The car was of sentimental value to me,” he said. “I loved it and I am grateful I’ve found it.“I want to thank the police for their hard work. We hear a lot of negative things about the police most of the time, but there are dedicated officers out there doing an amazing job The police who found the car after 22 years says he was just doing his job.
