Hijackers take Berea mum and son on nightmare drive

A mother and her son were taken on a nightmare drive by hijackers who held up the woman outside a Berea, Durban, residential property on Wednesday night, reports the Berea Mail.

Blue Security’s Andreas Mathios said the woman had pulled up outside the property at around 7.10pm when the gang of hijackers struck.

“The woman had parked outside the property where she was waiting for her son. When her son got into the vehicle a black Audi and a silver Toyota Etios stopped behind her vehicle and two suspects jumped out and approached them,” Mathios said.

“The hijackers took control of the vehicle and fled with the mother and her son to the Umlazi area. The mother and her son were later found unharmed in Umlazi, where the suspects eventually abandoned the vehicle,” he said.

Mathios advised motorists to be vigilant when stopping outside properties, especially at night.

“Unfortunately, criminals sometimes stake out their victims and will pick up on any regular patterns in your movement. It’s important to always be aware of your surroundings and to be ready to drive off quickly should any suspicious vehicles pull up nearby,” he said.

In a separate incident in Farningham Ridge in Pinetown, a gang of three armed suspects held up a couple in their home at around 8.07pm on the same night.

“The couple were outside having a braai when three armed suspects jumped over the back wall of their property and held them up at gunpoint,” Mathios said.

“The suspects then forced the couple into the house where they pushed them on to the ground before ransacking their home. During the ordeal the resident’s wife managed to push a panic button, which caused the suspects to move quickly through the house before fleeing the scene,” he said. 

“The suspects used a gate remote to open the driveway gate and reverse their vehicle, a blue VW Golf, into the premises. They fled the scene with jewellery, cellphones, wallets, keys and a flat-screen television,” Mathios said.

The incident was reported to the police.

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