Local police are confident that they have made significant headway in removing a gang of hijackers that have scourged the busy Jan Smuts Avenue for the past couple of months. Rosebank and Parkview police have shown the power of active policing and arrested six men who targeted the busy road during peak hour traffics.
Two of the alleged hijackers, who were arrested in March this year, found themselves on the wrong side of the law when they attempted to rob two victims in their vehicles on Jan Smuts Avenue. The men were however released because of a missing docket and one of the men was re-arrested again on 6 July.
Sergeant Bongi Mdletshe, spokesperson for Rosebank police said CAP Security was alerted and the two suspects were arrested after a car chase. “On all the intersections of Jan Smuts Avenue we had a spate of robberies with the same modus operandi during peak hours,” said Mdletshe.
In a separate incident on 29 June, two men were arrested after they attempted to steal a woman’s vehicle. The victim who was at the intersection of Smits Road and Jan Smuts Avenue managed to drive away and alerted CSS Security. People who witnessed the attempted hijacking chased the suspects and assaulted them.
“We don’t condone anyone assaulting a suspect. If a person is found committing a crime, call the police and we will do our job as the police,” said Mdletshe.
The Parkview Police Station has also arrested three suspects for hijacking who approached a man at a traffic light and demanded his watch and cell phone.
Rosebank police arrest two suspects following sting operation
“Parkview police received a complaint about the robbery at Jan Smuts Avenue, the police attended to the complaint and they saw two men getting into a taxi and they matched the description of the suspects,” said Captain Tintswalo Sibeko, spokesperson for the Parkview Police.
“Warrant Officer Peter Rasemane and Constable Padima Makhudu stopped the taxi and two suspects were arrested. The third suspect was arrested in Hillbrow by Parkview police members with the assistance of Cortac Security officers,” added Sibeko.
All six suspects have since appeared in court and have been denied bail. “Anyone who has information …should come to the police station [for] an identity parade so that we can link them,” said Mdletshe.
Tell us if you have been a victim of a hijacking on Jan Smuts Avenue on WhatsApp 079 439 5345
