East Rand man hijacked by bogus police
A case of hijacking has been opened after a 37-year-old man was allegedly hijacked by bogus police officers on the corner of Springs and Denne roads in Brakpan, on the East Rand.
Brakpan police spokesperson Captain Joep Joubert said the man was on his way home in his Mercedes Benz C180 on Friday evening when he noticed a white car behind him flashing its blue lights, Brakpan Herald reported.
“The man pulled over, thinking it was the police. The other vehicle stopped behind him. The driver and passenger got out of the other vehicle and went to the man’s driver’s side window. One of the robbers immediately pulled out a firearm, and they instructed him to move to the backseat,” added Joubert.
He said one of the robbers sat with the victim in the backseat while the other drove in his car. Shortly afterwards, the victim was dropped off at a factory in KwaThema.
The victim sought for help, and the factory’s security guards took him to the KwaThema Police Station.
Joubert said if a driver suspects they are being pulled over by bogus cops, they could do the following: acknowledge having seen them, indicate they should follow, put on hazards and drive to the nearest police station or public place.
In April, a 34-year-old man was hijacked and kidnapped, allegedly by suspects posing as police officers in Brakpan, on Gauteng’s East Rand.
The man, who asked not to be named, said he was driving along Denne Road when a car behind him began flashing its lights.
“I didn’t respond to it, but when I saw flashing blue lights from what I thought was a police vehicle, I pulled over,” said the man.
He added he rolled down his windows, thinking the occupants of the car were police officers.
“After I greeted the person who approached me, he grabbed the keys from the ignition. He unlocked my doors, and that’s when I noticed he wasn’t alone. His accomplice pointed a firearm at me,” said the man.
He was then pulled from his car and forced on to the backseat of a brown Hyundai before the hijackers put a cap over his eyes and ordered him to keep quiet and stay down.
After they drove around for a while, the victim was dropped off at Kliprivier, Alberton. The victim was not injured. The victim explained the bogus cops were dressed in civilian clothing. “After this incident, I don’t think I will ever be able to stop for police again,” said the man.
– Caxton News Service
Read original story on brakpanherald.co.za
