POLOKWANE – What seemed to initially be a routine trip for Shoeb Ahmed (28) from Thohoyandou to Polokwane turned into a nightmare on Friday, 7 April.
“I was boxed in by three cars and ordered to pull off the road by one of the armed assailants,” Ahmed told Review.
He said as soon as he pulled off the road, several armed men approached his vehicle and asked him “what he had for them” before they proceeded to search his vehicle.
Ahmed said the only thing he could think of at the time was to do what they told him because he feared for his life.
“Two men got into the car with me and ordered me to drive to Albasini. We drove around 15 km into a deserted area and they proceeded to search the car and found the bag I kept money in. They took the money and my cell phone.”
He added he believed the men came to kill him because they shot him after the robbery. “They fired two shots through the back of the car straight at the driver seat. A third shot fortunately hit the car door and ricocheted into my leg.
“I slumped forward and pretended to be unconscious and waited until I was sure they had left after which I drove to a nearby road until I could not drive anymore. I was assisted by people working on a dam in the area and they called the ambulance,” Ahmed said.
Shoeb suspects the men followed him from Johannesburg after a recent business trip.
“The hotel manager at the hotel I stayed notified me that people were photographing me and acting suspiciously during my visit,” Ahmed explained. However, he added, he did not suspect an attempt on his life or a robbery.
Another businessman who spoke to Review on condition of anonymity said this was not an isolated incident.
“There are several instances of people being hijacked or abducted and held for ransom, some even being killed. These cases, however, are not reported to the police as the families pay the money for the release and the people are returned safely.
“We suspect this might be part of a syndicate where these people extort money from us and we pay to protect our families and to stop the attacks,” he said.
Thohoyandou Police Station confirmed a case of attempted murder had been opened and is being investigated.
