Three suspects, aged between 22 and 32 years, appeared in the Umbumbulu Magistrate’s Court yesterday facing hijacking and possession of property suspected to be stolen. The fourth suspect did not appear as he is still in hospital due to the injuries he sustained during the shooting with the police and he is under police guard. The case was remanded for seven days for further investigation.
On 7 June 2016 at about 10:30, the victim was off-loading cigarettes at Mthandeni tavern in Umbumbulu when he was approached by five suspects. It is alleged that the suspects pushed him into his own VW Caddy vehicle at gunpoint and drove away. The suspects stopped the vehicle at Mpandweni area where they off-loaded cigarettes to another awaiting vehicle and fled the scene. The driver of the hijacked vehicle managed to free himself and reported the matter to the police. A case of hijacking was opened at Umbumbulu police station. The description and particulars of a getaway vehicle were circulated to all stations and units in the area. Members from various stations including security guards looked for the said vehicle and few hours later, it was spotted in the area. Two suspects were immediately arrested and the third one fled the scene and was later arrested with gunshot wound. The other two suspects managed to flee the scene. Stolen cigarettes were also recovered with the street value of R379, 000. On 8 June the fourth suspect was arrested at Hillcrest area by Provincial Task Team.
KwaZulu-Natal Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Bhekinkosi Langa commended a multi-disciplinary team that led to the arrest of the suspects. “The fifth suspect is still at large and our detectives will work around the clock to look for him. We are experiencing problems with the hijacking of vehicles transporting cigarettes in the province. We hope that these arrested suspects will be linked to other hijackings in the province,” he said.
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