Alert cops nab two, recover vehicle after hijacking drama

SWIFT action by Willowvale police resulted in the arrest of two men and recovery of a hijacked car over the weekend.

A Willowvale motorist said he was driving from Mpozolo Village to Gwadu Village when he was ambushed by three men.

Butterworth police spokesman Captain Jackson Manatha said the man was driving past a tavern when three men walked into the middle of the road and stood there.

“One pelted the car with a stone forcing the owner to stop.

“The three then got inside the vehicle and pushed the owner out of the car,” he said.

The heist was reported to Willowvale police at about 11pm on Saturday, Manatha said.

“Police acted very swiftly and found the car abandoned at Ntsimbakazi village at around midnight. Two suspects, both aged 28, were later arrested.

“One was found with the car keys of the recovered car.

“We are still looking for the third suspect,” Manatha said.

The two men will be charged with robbery and will appear in the Willowvale Magistrate’s Court today.

Butterworth Cluster Brigadier Trevor Mey praised the Willowvale police for their swift reaction and for recovering the hijacked vehicle.

● Six men appeared in the East London Magistrate’s Court on Friday for dealing in drugs after allegedly selling cocaine to undercover police between June 6-15.

According to Hawks provincial spokeswoman Captain Anelisa Feni, the six are due in court again today for a formal bail application.

Feni said the six – aged between 22 and 37, are Saleh Kasim, Rajaba Mshana, Juma Saed, Mohammed Ali, Shafii Mijari, and Asanda Tunyiswa.

They were arrested last Wednesday as a result of a joint operation between the Hawks and Crime Intelligence.

“Our members received information that these six suspects were selling a variety of drugs in Quigney,” said Feni.

“Members of the SAPS’s Tactical Response Team assisted the two units in conducting the arrests.”

● In Mthatha, two men, were arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm.

They were arrested in Eagle Street, with a 9mm Norinco pistol with seven rounds.

“Another man, aged 31, was arrested in Sutherland Street with 81 tablets of mandrax. The arrests were made during a police operation at Mthatha CBD area on Saturday,” said Mthatha police spokesman LieutenantColonel Mzukisi Fatyela. —