The Alexandra Magistrates’ Court recently granted three men bail of R2 000 each pending further investigation for a case of robbery, hijacking and possession of illegal weapons and ammunition.
The suspects were arrested on 2 May in Midrand after being stopped while driving a Mercedes-Benz with false number plates, reported as hijacked.
The traffic patrol officers spotted the car with three occupants entering the N1 highway from Allendale Road, Midrand. They followed and stopped the car as it exited the off-ramp into Oliphantsfontein Road after their radio control had confirmed the number plates were fictitious.
The court heard that on 30 January, two men approached the parked vehicle from behind in Kempton Park and allegedly demanded the car from the owner at gunpoint. It is alleged that they then hit the owner on the head and in the face with the butt of a gun before stealing the victim’s two cellphones, wallet and vehicle. The owner of the vehicle was left at the scene of the crime. A driver passing by then took the victim to a nearby police station where he reported the hijacking.
Police investigations found that one of the occupants had a previous conviction for robbery committed in 2001 for which he served 13 years. Another suspect had served a sentence for the possession of an illegal firearm and culpable homicide he committed in 1997. The third suspect had no previous conviction.
