Hijackers in and around eMalahleni are turning violent
Bakkies continue to be high on the list for the probability of getting hijacked.
Three more hijackings have been reported recently.
The hijacking spree kicked off on May 4 when the Department of Health’s bakkie was hijacked on the Verena Road.
The victim told police that he stopped after the Pine Ridge four-way stop when he was allegedly approached by two armed men.
The man said the men drove a blue Corolla with a Gauteng registration number.
According to police, the man was nudged into the back seat and the suspects allegedly took him to a veldt where he was searched and his cellphone and wallet taken.
The men allegedly emptied the victim’s bank account and fled with the department’s bakkie.
The Department of Health confirmed the incident.
The next day a man heading towards Johannesburg allegedly fell victim to hijackers on the road between Middelburg and eMalahleni.
The man told police that he was allegedly stopped by a car with blue lights around 17:00. Mistaking it for the police, he stopped next to the road.
“A man allegedly approached the motorist’s car, opened the driver’s door, grabbed him, and pushed him. Two more suspects appeared grabbing the man by his neck and feet and pushing him to the back of his Polo. They allegedly then tied the man’s hands and blindfolded him,” local police spokesperson Captain Eddie Hall said.
Hall said the suspects allegedly turned violent when the man gave them the wrong pins for his bank cards.
The man told police they drove for a while before the suspects dropped him off in an open veldt.
The third victim’s good deed on May 9 at 19:00 cost him his bakkie.
The man stopped in Delville Street to give two men a lift when he got more than he bargained for.
The man told police that three men jumped into his bakkie.
They allegedly tied his hands with rope as they pushed him to the back.
In the chaos, they allegedly grabbed the man’s wallet and cellphone.
When he told them he does not have money in his account, they allegedly beat him and dropped him in an open veldt.
On April 23 a man was waiting for his brother in Steve Bantu Biko Street when he was allegedly hijacked.
On April 24 a man was allegedly robbed of his company motorbike when he stopped in Allenby Street to get something to eat.
On April 25 a man from Pine Ridge was shot in his leg when he was overpowered by alleged hijackers as he was about to park his car.
Hall again urged motorists to not travel at night, if possible.
“Plan your route. Refrain from driving at night and always be mindful of areas where there are high crime volumes,” Hall advised.
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