Cab driver attacked next to police station in KZN

Cab driver Siva Pillay decided to stop next to the Copesville Police Station to fix a broken headlight on his vehicle after his routine customer drop-offs around the area while he waited for a friend to arrive with assistance, Public Eye Maritzburg reports.

“I thought stopping by the police station would be a safe place for me to open up my bonnet and fix my lights. Little did I know that thieves today are so brazen and fearless,” said Pillay.

He further said that he noticed four men carrying a mattress base and did not make much of it. The men casually passed Pillay while he was fixing the headlights.

“There was no threat, as they passed us – so we carried on fixing the car,” he continued.

Much to his surprise, a few minutes later, Pillay found himself being ambushed by the four men who were armed with long, sharp knives and screwdrivers.

“We had finished fixing the lights. As I got into my vehicle, my driver’s side window was opened and I felt a sharp stab on my shoulder, unaware that the four men had returned. I didn’t even know what was happening,” he recalled.

Reacting quickly after being stabbed in the shoulder with a screwdriver, Pillay said he attempted to get out of the vehicle but one of the assailants tried to stab him in the chest. He said he was able to block the attack although he sustained a stab wound to his forearm. The attackers also demanded his car keys but eventually only made away with two cellphones.

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Bleeding profusely, Pillay managed to drive to his home in Scania Crescent after allegedly not receiving assistance at the police station. His wife, Shireen Pillay, and family friends, Lee and Reta Ramsaram, took him to the nearest hospital for assistance.

His still-dazed wife said she could not believe that Pillay, who had always been the strong head of their household, was bleeding helplessly.

“He was losing so much blood. I was in a state of shock. You hear this happening to other people but you never think it could happen to you. We feared the worst,” she said.

Mountain Rise police spokesperson Captain Gay Ebrahim said an attempted hijacking case had been opened.

“An attempted hijacking docket was opened a few hours after the incident occurred and statements have been taken by the investigating officers. Investigations continue,” said Ebrahim.

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– Caxton News Service