Armed gang targets hitchhikers
Anyone with information is requested to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
Hitchhikers are warned to be careful when catching lifts on the South Coast.
Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said a heavily armed group of men are targeting hitchhikers and truck drivers. Their modus operandi is to kidnap the victims and take them to a secluded spot where they are robbed of their belongings at gunpoint.
A number of these incidents have been reported in Harding and Kokstad which are under the Harry Gwala District.
“While police have undertaken various approaches to catch the perpetrators, they remain elusive and use different vehicles to evade detection,” said Ngcobo.
The Herald has also reported on previous cases this year.
* Most recently, a man (45) sustained several gunshot wounds while hitchhiking from Hibberdene to Ifafa.
Police spokesperson Captain Petros Mpinge said the man was robbed by three men, and shot during the robbery, when he accepted a lift while hitchhiking.
* In May, three women who were offered a lift to their home in Mthwalume after work by two strangers were taken to a sugarcane field, where they were raped and robbed. They were offered a lift while hitchhiking from the Oribi Plaza traffic lights (R102) in Port Shepstone.
Anyone with information is requested to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111. Anonymous tip-offs can also be communicated via the MySAPS App.
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