A man was hijacked on September 26 at the Linksfield off-ramp near Gillooly’s.
According to Sergeant Mduduzi Nhlabathi, the Bedfordview SAPS spokesperson, the man was driving in his Mercedes Benz when he was robbed by three men. One of the men was dressed in a police uniform and had a firearm. The man in uniform asked for the victim’s licence and declared it invalid after inspecting it.
The false officer proceeded to steal the victim’s phone, assaulted him and then seized the car. The bogus officer drove around for several hours with the victim in the car. The suspects left the victim in Tsakane and fled with his car.
The SAPS is investing a case of hijacking and investigations are ongoing. No arrests have been made.
This is one of the many cases the SAPS has noted concerning the increase in the number of robberies reportedly committed by people wearing police uniforms or vehicles fitted with blue lights.
This trend has resurfaced in Gauteng over the past couple of months.
According to a statement from the SAPS, in some instances business people travelling with cash are being robbed while on their way to or from the bank.
In other instances, people are being followed and then robbed while returning from the airport to their respective destination. Over the past couple of weeks, detectives have been interacting with victims and further analysing the cases to get a better understanding of the modus operandi, as well as the people possibly involved.
Indications so far are that these crimes are opportunistic in nature. The majority of these incidents happen at night in poorly lit areas. Residents who find themselves stopped by a private vehicle fitted with blue lights in such areas are advised to slow down and continue driving to a well lit area, or to the nearest police station
