Hijacked police vehicle dumped in bushes

A Police vehicle hijacked at Kabokweni in Mpumalanga on Wednesday evening was found the following day dumped in local bushes but police said the suspects are still on the run.

Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Donald Mdhluli said the unmarked vehicle, a bakkie, was taken from an SA Police Service (Saps) member on Wednesday and was recovered at Kabokweni on Thursday.

He said according to the SAPS member, he got home on that fateful evening around 6:35pm and was accosted by three armed men.

Recovered

According to Mdhluli, one of the men pointed with a firearm before driving off in the state vehicle and the incident was reported to Calcutta Police Station.

“A case of car hijacking was registered. The state vehicle was reportedly found the next day at Kabokweni after being abandoned in the bushes by the suspects,” he said.

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Mdhluli said police were still searching for the suspects and appealed to anyone who might have information that can assist in the investigation and lead an arrest to contact Detective Lieutenant Colonel Sikhumbuzo Ceko on 082 922 9902.

“Alternatively members of the public can contact the Crime Stop number at 08600 10111 or send information via MYSAPSAPP. All received information will be treated as confidential and callers may opt to remain anonymous,” he added.

Hijacking nightmare

SA experiences an alarming rate of hijackings and a seemingly worsening nightmare.

Though the most recent crime statistics indicate a slight year-on-year decrease some provinces have seen a spike with month-on-month data indicating an increase in the number of hijackings.

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Crime statistics for the second quarter of the year [1 January to 31 March 2023], SAPS recorded 5,119 cars hijacked over the three-month period, making up approximately 57 cars being stolen in SA each day.

Month-on-month data shows that hijackings increased by 14% over the last month of the fourth quarter to 1,842 in March from 1,614 in February.

Northern Cape (37.5%) and North West (23%) showed notable increases as well as the Free State at 19%.

Hijackings decreased by 12.4% in Gauteng, followed by Mpumalanga with 12.2% less incidents.

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