90-year-old woman held hostage in Hilton home invasion

A 90-year-old woman was held hostage during a home invasion in Hilton, KZN, on Sunday morning.

According to Mi7, its control room received an alarm activation from the client’s premises 08:00.

The outdoor motion detection beam had been tripped. Mi7 reaction officers arrived quickly and conducted a full check of the property.

Everything appeared in order, with no sign of forced entry, Mi7 said in a statement.

However, the intruder was hiding in the bushes.

It is believed the suspect entered the yard, and when the alarm activation occurred, fled the scene, hiding in nearby bushes. The suspect allegedly kept an eye on the premises from afar, waiting for the reaction officers to leave.

“About two hours later, the suspect returned. It is believed he entered through a window and held up the 90-year-old woman who was alone at her home. However, while he was gaining entry, the client managed to activate her panic system,” read the statement.

Mi7 said its reaction officers arrived moments later and confronted the suspect, who was holding a steel bar against the woman’s head, daring the reaction officers to shoot.

Meanwhile, additional units, including the Mi7 K9 team, had been dispatched. They strategically blocked off all entry and exit points, placing themselves near doorways and out of the suspect’s sight so that they didn’t startle or aggravate him.

“The reaction officer dealing with the situation managed to back the suspect towards a doorway, and when he attempted to flee through it, he was nabbed by Mi7 K9 Unit members who he did not know were lying in wait.

“In his possession, teams found cash and jewellery stolen from the woman,” Mi7 said.

The matter was handed over to the police for investigation.