New hijacking trend: urgent warning to bakkie owners

Police are concerned about the increase in the number of bakkie and truck hijackings since the start of this year, Krugersdorp News reports.

In 2017, the Krugersdorp News reported on an emerging bakkie hijacking trend in the Kagiso area, and since then number of cases has increased so much that the police in the area have grown increasingly worried.

READ MORE: Hail of bullets riddle vehicle in attempted hijacking ordeal

It is difficult to link the hijackings to a specific hot spot, as incidents occur in different areas, including Johannesburg, Swanieville, Tshepisong and Soweto. The police have arrested four suspects, a woman and three men, believed to have been behind these crimes.

The incidents follow more or less the same modus operandi: the suspects contact the bakkie/ truck owners and ask them to transport goods for them. The suspects then hijack the driver once he/ she arrives to pick up the goods. The drivers are then dropped in an open field near Swanieville.

The police have now warned owners of bakkies and trucks to be more cautious, as these are commonly used criminal tricks. Captain Solomon Sibiya, spokesperson for the Kagiso Police, said, “It is worrying that there are still people who fall victims to the same old tricks”.

The latest hijacking happened on Wednesday, 24 January, when the complainant received a call from an anonymous woman who wanted her goods picked up from Protea Glen and delivered to Springs. The parties agreed on transportation costs and arranged to meet the next day.

The complainant then met the woman and they left for Protea Glen. On the way, they picked up three men, who, according to the woman, were going to assist in loading up the goods.

One of the men then pulled out a firearm and aimed it at the complainant. They ordered him to drive to Swanieville, where his white Nissan light duty vehicle was taken. He was left in an open field with his hands bound.

Hail of bullets riddle vehicle in attempted hijacking ordeal

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