Cigarette van hijackers’ plans go up in smoke
Hijackers were arrested yesterday in Umlazi, but more are still at large.
FOUR armed hijackers were arrested in Umlazi yesterday, 3 April while police are still searching for the remaining men.
At about 11am, a cigarette supplier was speaking to a tavern owner in Y section when they were approached by an unknown group of armed men wearing balaclavas who robbed the supplier at gunpoint, making off with undisclosed amount of cash, mobile phones, the cigarette vendor’s VW Caddy and cigarettes. They fled in two getaway vehicles. No shots were fired and no injuries were sustained.
Members of the Umlazi crime intelligence unit and Durban Flying Squad responded to the scene and quickly arrested four of the men between the ages of 25 and 30 and recovered one of the getaway vehicles. They were charged with hijacking and business robbery and will appear in Umlazi Magistrates’ Court soon. Police are still searching for the remaining perpetrators, but more arrests are expected soon.
“We are confident the stolen items will be recovered and the outstanding suspects will soon be arrested. We urge the community to work with the police in fighting criminal activities in the province and to make sure that they do not buy stolen goods from criminals,” said KZN provincial commissioner, Lieutenant-General Mmamonnye Ngobeni.
