Western Cape Uber hijackers arrested

Three people linked to 17 incidents of hijacking Uber and metered taxis, which have been occurring since last year October, were arrested, Western Cape police said on Friday.

Spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk said that most incidents were reported in Kuils River, Kleinvlei and Mfuleni. Some were reported in Stellenbosch, Macassar and in Somerset West.

“The suspects would order taxis under false pretences and when the driver arrived they would ask to be driven to a certain point. On their way there, one of the suspects, who usually sat in the front of the vehicle with the driver, would point a gun at the driver and the one at the back would choke the victim at the same time,” he said.

“Thereafter they would typically rob the driver of his cell phones and other valuables, pull him out of the vehicle and drive away with the vehicle. In some incidents the suspects ordered the driver to get into the boot of the car and, after robbing the victim, they would abandon the car and disappear with the victim’s belongings,” police said in a statement.

– African News Agency (ANA)