Think twice before hitching a lift, warn Nelspruit SAPS

Over the past three months, Lowvelder has reported extensively on a spate of attempted hijackings and attempted robberies in the West Acres, Stongehenge and Kaapsehoop Road areas. In all the incidents, victims and eyewitnesses have reported the involvement of two suspects using a white VW Polo TSI as the getaway car.

The Nelspruit police have noted an escalating number of incidents in which hitch-hikers are targeted by suspects driving a grey VW Polo.

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Brig Leonard Hlathi, the provincial police spokesperson said, “In one incident, a woman hitch-hiking to KaBokweni was offered a lift by men driving a silver-grey VW Polo.

“They drove the unsuspecting woman to Vintonia (Old Pretoria Road) and threatened her with a firearm. The suspects robbed her of her cell phone and bank cards before leaving her stranded on the side of the road,” he said. According to Hlathi, the case is still under investigation, but no arrests have been made as yet. The suspects appear to be targeting hitch-hikers and do not prey on a particular gender.

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“In another incident, suspects in a silver-grey VW Polo picked up another victim on the R40 near Tiger Wheel and Tyre, which is a known hitchhiking spot. “They dropped him off in the bush and robbed him of an undisclosed amount of cash, his cellphone and bank cards. A man who is presumed to have been thumbing a lift along the Old Pretoria Road was also robbed of his bag,” According to Hlathi, a number of robbery cases were registered at the Nelspruit Police Station involving a white and black VW Polo, with the same modus operandi.

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Tip-offs can also be provided anonymously on the MySAPSApp that can be downloaded to any smartphone. “All information will be treated with the strictest confidentiality and callers can opt to remain anonymous,” Hlathi concluded.