Hijackers trick drivers off the road
Same hijacking method used on two drivers in one day.

Hijackers haven’t waited long to get back into the swing of things in the new year, with two hijackings occurring in Brakpan in one day.
Both incidents took place last Friday along Heidelberg Road, a notorious local hijacking hot spot. In both cases, an additional charge of kidnapping was also registered.
According to information received from police, the first took place at around 09:30 near Withok Estates. The victim, driving a white Isuzu bakkie owned by his employer, stopped on the side of the road to check the vehicle after motorists in two cars signalled to him that there was a problem with the bakkie.
He had initially ignored them but decided to stop after the occupants of a third vehicle signalled to him. Shortly after pulling over and getting out of the bakkie, a Toyota Hilux stopped in front of the vehicle and then reversed next to it.
Four men climbed out of the Hilux and surrounded the victim’s vehicle, two heading to the passenger side and the other two to the driver’s side.
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One of the men then grabbed the victim and another showed him a gun concealed in the waistband of his pants and told him “this is a hijacking”.
The victim was taken to the Hilux and driven away. He was robbed of his cellphone and forced to disclose the pin for his banking app.
The victim was later dropped off at an abandoned house in an undisclosed area and told not to leave. He eventually fled and sought help.
In addition to the bakkie and his personal cellphone, the hijackers also took his work cellphone and his clothes. Money was also transferred from his bank account.
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The same modus operandi was used to get the driver of a truck to stop a little over two hours later. This victim was travelling towards Brakpan near Witpoort Estates when the occupants of a black Kia Picanto indicated to him that there was something wrong with the truck.
He also initially ignored these motorists until the occupants of a white Isuzu also signalled to him that there was a problem.
The victim stopped and the Isuzu also pulled over. The Isuzu driver pointed to the back of the truck, and then to the front left tyre. As the victim kneeled down to get a better look, he was grabbed from behind.
Three of his attackers were armed with guns. They told the victim to be quiet and bundled him into their vehicle. He was forced to lie down and was blindfolded.
The victim was searched and robbed of his belongings, including his cellphone and R600 in cash. He was driven to an undisclosed area where he was told to remain blindfolded until the men had left. The victim heard the vehicle driving off and set off in search of assistance.