The Johannesburg East Cluster police have warned motorists about the increase of hijackings in the precinct, particularly in Bez Valley and Jeppestown which fall under Jeppe Police Station.
However, the police also cited Cleveland, Norwood, Jeppe, Rosebank, Parkview, Hillbrow and Yeoville as other areas of concern.
Read: Hijacking drama in Jeppestown
Joburg East Cluster spokesperson Captain Richard Munyai said in most cases victims were hijacked while sitting inside their cars parked on the streets at night.
He appealed to motorists to rather go inside their properties or drive to a place where there is a high visibility of people.
“If you suspect that you are being followed while driving home, you must not stop and get out of the car to open your gate – rather drive past your house and go to the nearest police station or call for help,” said Munyai.”There is also a new trend where criminals are targeting cars that are parked on the streets, especially where there is an event, party or church.”
Criminals would often activate the car’s alarm and when the owners came out to check, they then pounced on them and hijacked them.
Police have also sent a stern warning to people who fabricate cases such as being hijacked.
“Most of them are opening false cases in order to claim from their insurance or have sold their car, while others want to settle their debts with their car’s insurance.
“Sometimes you find that a person was involved in an accident while they were at a place where they were not authorised to be, especially those who are driving company vehicles,” added Munyai.
Read: Police investigate hijacking in Highlands North
“People who report false cases will be charged with perjury and the perpetrators will be arrested and prosecuted.”
Details: Jeppe Police Station 011 624 6042.
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