Picture: iStock
A video of a man being hijacked by a gang of six in front of a child he was travelling with has surfaced on social media.
The video was shared on Twitter by anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee. He alleges that the video was taken at Hanover in Johannesburg.
In the video, three vehicles can be seen parked on the roadside, with the one in the middle being the gang’s target.
ALSO READ: SA’s hijacking hotspots in Gauteng and Cape Town revealed
A man (first suspect), wearing a navy jacket, can be seen talking to the unsuspecting victim. Moments later, the unsuspecting driver hops off his vehicle.
While the conversation seemingly continues between the two, the victim finds himself surrounded by the gang.
One of the suspects takes out the child from the victim’s car and escorts her to one of their vehicles while the others push the father to the backseat of his car before driving away with them.
Back in May, Police Minister Bheki Cele announced that a total of 4,513 cars were stolen during the months of January, February and March this year.
This was an increase of 4.9% compared to the same time period last year, which translates to 210 more incidents.
The trend of carjackings continues to increase steadily, with no sign of slowing down.
“Carjacking took place mostly in formal and non-formal residence in the country’s townships, followed by suburbs in urban areas.”
Cele said the “cars of choice” for criminals are sedans and hatchbacks, as well as panel vans and bakkies.