Your first intention when seeing blue lights might be to stop but that isn’t always the best choice.
A truck driver was tricked into believing he was being stopped by police when in fact he was stopped by hijackers on October 28.
The driver had set out and was driving along the N4 Highway in the direction of Pretoria at around 19:00. As he neared the Bronkhorstspruit off ramp he saw a white motor vehicle with blue lights flickering.
A man was standing in front of the vehicle and was using a torch to wave the driver to pull over.
The driver slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road, as he came to a stop two men got out of the parked vehicle and rushed to his passenger door where they gained entry to the truck. The men forced the truck driver to the back of the cabin and told him to lie face down.
One of them was armed with a firearm and so the driver had no choice but to listen. One of the men began driving the truck, while another started searching the vehicle for a tracker. According to the driver’s statement to police they drove for some time before stopping alongside a field where they removed the driver from the truck and bound his hands and feet.
In the driver’s statement he mentioned that the hijackers had pointed out a light in the distance and informed him that that was a police station and that he can make his way there.
Being bound he had difficulty crawling in the direction and was later found by security guards who aided him in making his way to the police station where he reported the theft of the stolen truck, valued at R800 000. The case was later transferred to the Bronkhorstspruit Police.
“People are advised that if they see blue lights and are unsure if it is police that they should by law drive to the nearest safe place, such as a police station, a garage, or school, where they may then stop,” said Capt Eddie Hall, spokesperson for the Witbank Police .
Capt Hall advises truck drivers especially to take heed of the following,
“Consider every unscheduled stop a possible assault, keep your doors locked, the passenger door is the most common access point for hijackers. Do not pick up hitch-hikers, not even women. When and if you are hijacked do not resist. And lastly do not trust anyone, there is no way for anyone to tell you what a real hijacker looks like, they come in all shapes, sizes, races and genders.”
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