Two alleged hijackers were killed in a shoot-out with police and another two were arrested in Verulam, Durban, in the early hours of Sunday morning, KwaZulu-Natal police said.
eTthekwini inner north (Inanda) policing cluster trio crime unit officers were conducting crime prevention duties in the area to curb hijackings, business robberies, and house robberies, Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said.
“While patrolling the area, they saw a suspicious-looking Toyota Quantum which was allegedly hijacked at Inanda this month. When the members tried to stop the said vehicle, the driver sped off and the police gave chase.”
It was alleged that the occupants fired shots at the police officers and the Quantum driver eventually lost control and crashed the minibus in Verulam. While chasing the suspects, the police retaliated and two suspects were fatally wounded while the other two were arrested after the crash.
An unlicensed handgun was recovered from the scene and it would be taken for ballistic tests to establish if it was used in any other crimes in the province. The arrested suspects, aged 25 and 35, would appear in the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court soon on charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition and hijacking.
On November 13, a man was driving his Toyota Quantum in the Emachobeni area in Inanda at about 9.30pm when his four passengers allegedly pointed firearms at him. One of the suspects drove the minibus and the victim was dropped off at the N2 near the Edwin Swale off-ramp. The suspects drove away, taking his cash and cellphone. A case of hijacking was opened at the Inanda police station, Mbhele said.
KwaZulu-Natal acting provincial commissioner Maj-Gen Bheki Langa praised the officers for arresting the wanted hijacking suspects, who had been armed. “The arrested suspects will be profiled and checked whether they are not involved in any other hijackings in the province. I also appeal to the community to be vigilant and take extra precautions to prevent their vehicles being hijacked,” he said.
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