Springs is experiencing a rise in car hijackings, with recent incidents showing how shameless criminals have become.

From motorists being shot during attempted thefts to residents targeted in their own driveways, the SAPS is warning the community to remain alert and take precautions.

On November 10, a 34-year-old man was shot twice during an attempted hijacking in Springs Extension.

According to Springs police spokesperson Sergeant Charity Zwane, the victim was driving into his residence when two armed men approached him.

“The victim got out of his vehicle but refused to get inside the suspect’s vehicle. He was forced into the vehicle, but resisted. During the struggle, the suspects shot the victim twice in the lower body,” she said.

Zwane added that the would-be hijackers fled the scene in the victim’s gold Mercedes-Benz sedan and were accompanied by another vehicle, a Nissan Almera.

“The men left the victim at the scene. The victim was later transported to a medical facility for treatment. Tracker subsequently recovered the hijacked vehicle in Tsakani Ext 6,” she said.

Investigations continue, and no arrests have been made. In another incident, a 55-year-old woman was hijacked at her home in Reedville on November 2.

Zwane explained the victim had just arrived home when she parked her Mercedes-Benz sedan inside her yard. Four men approached her while she was still in the vehicle.

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“She then heard a gunshot from the passenger window. One man pointed a firearm at her from the driver’s side and ordered her to get out of the car,” Zwane said.

She added that two men pulled the woman out of her car, causing her to fall to the ground.

“Subsequently, two men drove off with the woman’s vehicle, while the remaining two fled with a white vehicle parked outside the yard,” she explained.

The Springs Police Station opened a docket. On October 29, a man was driving a white Nissan UDHO truck on the N12 freeway towards Selby, Johannesburg. At the Etwatwa off-ramp, a driver in a Toyota Yaris alerted him that something was wrong with his truck.

“Upon stopping, a white Toyota Quantum with four men blocked the truck. The men instructed the victim to get inside the Quantum, in which two of the men had firearms,” Zwane said.

She added that the man was taken to an unknown location where his cellphone and wallet were stolen.

“He was assaulted, but the hijackers fired no shots. The hijacked truck was driven away by one suspect. A case docket was opened at the Springs police station,” she explained.

Zwane urged the community to be extra vigilant following the recent increase in hijacking incidents reported in the area.

“We urge the community to remain alert, especially when entering or exiting their residential areas. Avoid parking in the driveway when visiting a friend or family member, be cautious of suspicious vehicles and individuals loitering nearby, and keep your car doors locked and windows closed,” she said.

She cautioned motorists to approach an intersection with vigilance and look out for suspicious people and vehicles.

“If you suspect you are being followed, drive to the nearest police station,” she concluded.