Woman hijacked and kidnapped in Esther Park

A 56-year-old woman was allegedly hijacked and kidnapped in front of her husband at their Esther Park home last Wednesday morning.

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According to the woman, the incident occurred as she was leaving for work.

“I was reversing my car and my husband was closing the gate when I saw a blue car driving towards us. The next thing there was this gun pointed at me,” said the woman (who wished to remain anonymous).

“I was screaming and tried to close the window, but I realised closing the window wouldn’t work and that I had to cooperate. They ripped my glasses off my face and forced me inside their vehicle before driving off. They instructed me to put my head down or they would shoot me.”

The woman also alleged that soon after they drove off, the suspects started asking questions.

“They asked who lives in my house, what I have in my house, whether there was a safe and what time my husband left for work,” she said.

“During this time, I prayed my husband was okay and safe because the other armed suspect went to him and because I was forced inside the suspects’ vehicle, I didn’t know what they had done to him.”

The woman’s 65-year-old husband was also praying for her safe return. The husband also alleges the suspects travelled in a blue vehicle.

“As I was closing the gate, I saw this blue car coming with a hell of a speed and I shouted at her to get out of the car. As I was shouting, she started screaming and the next thing, two armed men approached us. One was standing at my wife’s door and the other approached me,” said the man (who also wished to remain anonymous).

“The guy grabbed me by the arm and pushed me inside. I fell on the paving and he put the gun against my head and asked if there was anybody inside the house. He told me if I didn’t cooperate: ‘Ek sal jou skiet’ (I’ll shoot you).

“It happened so quickly because the next minute it was quiet. I kept shouting out my wife’s name, but there was no response.”

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The man explained he had undergone a back operation and couldn’t get up quickly after the fall.

He said he had to drag himself to the braai area where he pulled himself up.

The suspects allegedly took his cellphone.

“I pressed the panic button. I have never prayed like I did that day, praying for my wife’s safety,” said the man.

Meanwhile, the female victim was allegedly driven around by the suspects with her face and head covered.

“I didn’t think I would make it. They took a mask and put it over my eyes and nose and took a jacket and put it over my head,” she said.

“When they stopped the vehicle, they asked for my banking PINs, cellphone codes and how much money I had in my accounts. I stayed calm and didn’t fight them.

“The car began moving again. They kept talking about codes, numbers and wireless transfers.

“The bank even called twice to confirm a transaction of a huge amount of money and with a gun to your head, you won’t say no. All my savings were in there, and I have been saving for years. It is all gone. But I guess, as my husband says, money is money and my life is worth more.

“I just kept praying my husband was okay and that I would make it out alive.”

The female victim alleged she was dropped off in Lombardy East.

“They then told me they were done and they wouldn’t hurt me and would drop me off. They took the jacket off and left me with the mask over my eyes,” she said.

She added that a passerby helped her get to a nearby shop, where she could call the police.

“Police took me to the Sandringham Police Station, where a member from our security company, Tactical Reaction K9 Warriors, fetched and brought me home.”

The woman told Express the suspects didn’t assault her, but her husband sustained injuries to his knees because of the fall.

Sebenza SAPS spokesperson Sgt Sharon Tsotsotso confirmed the incident and that four or five suspects were involved.

Tsotsotso also said the hijacked vehicle, a white Chevrolet Utility, is a company vehicle and that it was recovered later in the afternoon in Chloorkop.

“Cases of kidnapping, hijacking and pointing a firearm are under investigation,” said Tsotsotso.

“When the car was reported hijacked, it was circulated and members from the Modderfontein CPF loaded the registration number onto the licence plate recognition cameras, and around 13:00 it was picked up on a road close to where it was hijacked in Esther Park.

“When the cameras picked it up, the location of the vehicle was posted on one of the WhatsApp groups, which was when members from Night Guard Security Company responded and followed the vehicle until they stopped it in Chloorkop, direction Thembisa.”

Tsotsotso also said when the vehicle was recovered that there was only one male inside, the driver (in his 20s), who alleged to not know anything about the alleged hijacking and kidnapping incident.

“The suspect alleged someone sent him to take the vehicle to a car wash in Thembisa. He claimed to have taken the vehicle from Alexandra,” said Tsotsotso.

“The suspect faces a charge of possession of a hijacked vehicle.”

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