Three men have been arrested in connection with a brazen attempt to steal petrol at a Gauteng police station on Wednesday.

The men allegedly targeted 9 000 litres of petrol contained in a Transnet petrol tanker that had temporarily been stored at the Brackendowns police station.

On Tuesday, Transnet officials arranged to tap out some of the petrol but couldn’t take it all, police spokesperson Warrant Officer Gerhard Cornelius said.

The following morning, three men pretended they needed to view the petrol tanker. The men were driving a Mercedes-Benz minibus, Cornelius said.

While they were at the police station, an officer noticed the men tampering with the tanker tap and attaching pipes. On closer inspection, he discovered the men were stealing fuel from the tanker, Cornelius added.

“The three [men] were immediately arrested as they do not work for Transnet and detained at SAPS Brackendowns,” Cornelius said.

-News24