A WESTVILLE man was lucky to escape a hijacking uninjured on Thursday,10 December in the third incident involving armed robbers in the suburb last week.
Blue Security operations manager, Brian Jackson, said the motorist was held up at the main gate of a property in Scone Place at around 7.44pm.
“Four armed men hijacked him of his Honda, which also contained a laptop, cellphone and other valuables. There were no injuries reported,” he said.
Jackson said a gang of four armed men had earlier attempted to hold up a gardener in Strathay Road at 7.52am. The robbers, who were all armed with firearms, jumped over the fence and accosted the gardener, but the men fled when a resident saw them and sounded the alarm. There were no injuries reported.
In a third incident, an armed robber jumped over the low back fence of a property in Winston Road and held up a resident at 7.51pm on Wednesday night (9 December).
“The robber entered the garden and walked into the house through a back door that had been left wide open. He held up the resident at gunpoint and demanded his wristwatch. He fled on foot,” said Jackson.
Westville SAPS attended the crime scenes.
Jackson advised residents to be vigilant and to ensure that property perimeters and windows and doors were secured, especially at night.
“Criminals stake out properties for vulnerabilities before they strike and opportunistic criminals are also cruising the neighbourhood checking out the lie of the land,” he said. A gate that has been momentarily left open and an unsecured window or door is an invitation to criminals who already only need just a few minutes to break in and commit a hijacking or armed robbery,” he said.
“Criminal gangs operate in vehicles pulling up outside or near their victim’s property as well as on foot as gang members drop them off nearby and they then hijack residents in their driveways when they are arrive or leave home,” he said.
Related stories:
Housebreakings spike in Westville
Housebreakers torment Westville households
