‘Fake’ hijacking probed

POLICE are probing the alleged fake hijacking of a La Mercy businessman who was allegedly bundled into his BMW and driven away, moments after drinking with two friends.

While a charge of defeating the ends of justice was provisionally withdrawn against the 43-year-old man on Tuesday for lack of evidence, police are convinced the hijacking was staged to cash in on an insurance policy.

But the businessman’s 44-year-old employee – the man police believe he coaxed into hijacking him and two friends on Saturday evening – was not so lucky.

He was to have appeared in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court yesterday (Tuesday) on charges of kidnapping and pointing an item resembling a firearm.

According to a source familiar with the investigation, the businessman and two of his friends were parked in his BMW on South Beach Road, La Mercy, and were having drinks when the alleged armed hijacker approached on foot.

The gunman allegedly pointed his weapon at the driver’s head and forced him into the front passenger seat.

He also allegedly pointed the gun at one of the driver’s friends, before shoving him into the boot.

The other friend managed to escape, flagging down a passing security company vehicle as the “hijacker” sped off in the BMW, with both men inside.

It has not yet been established whether the two friends had prior knowledge of the incident.

But according to the source, the friend had looked traumatised when he was removed from the boot.

Roshin Ramnarain, the director of Task Force Security in La Mercy, told POST that while patrolling the area on Saturday evening with armed response officer Ashley Govender, they came across a man standing at the roadside frantically waving his arms.

Ramnarain said the man looked visibly distressed:

“We were driving down Golden Dawn Drive into South Beach Road in La Mercy at around 8.15pm when we saw an Indian male trying to flag us down. He was alone and screaming frantically.

“We were hesitant to stop in case it was a set-up, so we drove past him and then stopped.

“He ran towards us and said he and his friends were hijacked and one of them was thrown into the boot of the car,” he said.

“For me, it was strange that one of the victims was placed in the passenger seat.

He said them an got into their car and while Govender was driving, he questioned him. Ramnarain said that while they drove in pursuit of the alleged suspect, past Seatides, they noticed a black BMW that had stopped on the M4, but it then sped off.

“We gave chase and were on his tail. We followed him towards Watson Highway.

“During the chase I contacted the Tongaat police station to alert them on what was going on and to inform them that we were in pursuit of the vehicle, which the victim had verified,” he said.

“They tried to get away many times but the roads were too busy.

“We expected gunshots but there were none.

“We followed them past the Brake Village Temple and Victoria Hospital and then they went south on the R102.

“That’s where we and the police intercepted them and boxed the car in, so they could not escape.”

Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane said othongathi (Tongaat) police had received a report of a car hijacking and officers spotted the vehicle on the R102 highway with two males.

“Upon investigation, it was discovered that it was a planned hijacking and both males were taken into custody,” said Zwane.