A DRIVE back home nearly turned fatal when a Flamboyant Park resident was hijacked at gunpoint on Monday, 30 November.
Financial planner, Pravin Thakur, had just parked on his driveway and got out of the car to open his gate when an unknown car parked behind his and jammed him in.
“I thought the car was lost and they were looking for directions, so I approached it. I then realised that these guys were armed,” he said.
Not wanting to be identified, the men instructed Thakur to look down, but he looked up instead.
“One of them then placed his hand at the back of my head and forced my head down. I didn’t look up after that. I got the message,” he added. He said there were three occupants in the car, two of whom got out to search him and jump into his car. “One of them occupied the passenger seat while the other one very expertly slid his hands inside my pockets.”
The man pulled out Thakur’s wallet, camera and cellphone before instructing him to turn the other way and move away from the car.
“They told me to go. I started walking away from the car and took about 10 steps. And those were the longest 10 steps I had ever taken in my life. These guys were armed and my back was towards them, I did not know what would happen next,” he explained. The cars then took off.
He strongly believes that the crime was nothing personal but opportunistic and said he doubts that these men had been following him. Thukar said he hopes his experience serves as a reminder to everyone to be cautious as crime is on the rise around this time of year.
“As they drove off, I had a strange feeling. I felt sorry for these criminals. I cannot begin to imagine that there are people who do these kind of things for a living,” he said. He commended the Malvern SAPS for their quick response and thanked his family, friends and neighbours for the support they have been giving him.
With the help of his tracking company, the police were able to recover the car about two hours later in Chesterville.
Thakur said although he had the inconvenience of a car which was slighly damaged and having a traumatic experience, he chose to look on the bright side and wished for people to take extra care and be safe these holidays.
The Malvern SAPS said a case of hijacking had been registered and is being investigated.
