Five-month-old reunited with family after hijacking ordeal in Durban

KwaZulu-Natal police are on the hunt for three suspects who hijacked a vehicle with the owner’s five-month-old baby still strapped inside her car seat.

According to Marshall Security, an alert was received after three armed men hijacked a Toyota Hilux on Thursday afternoon in the Kwadabeka area, Durban.

The suspects then drove off with the baby still inside the vehicle.

The baby was later found in her car seat near the Inanda police station by officers who were passing by, Marshall Security spokesperson Kyle van Reenen said.

“The Hilux was fitted with a satellite tracking device, monitored by Netstar, and the owner began relaying information from his smartphone application to the South African Police Services and community WhatsApp groups who activated the necessary resources as the vehicle was headed toward the Inanda area,” Van Reenen added.

The vehicle was tracked and recovered in Amatikwe.

Van Reenen said the baby girl was assessed by a Crisis Medical paramedic and found to be in good health with no injuries. She was reunited with her family.

The vehicle was handed over to the police for further investigations.

Police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said while the vehicle was recovered, the complainant had not opened a case.

“I can confirm that there was [such] an incident but no case was opened. The baby was found, and the car later found abandoned,” Gwala added.

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