Armed robbers targeting Bay delivery drivers

Delivery drivers in Nelson Mandela Bay have been warned to be vigilant as multiple cases of gangs targeting trucks and their goods have been reported.

In two incidents on Wednesday, drivers were forced out of their vehicles at gunpoint.

Swift action by the police led to the recovery of both vehicles and their cargo.

At 9.25am, a Toyota Hilux bakkie was stopped at a traffic light on Stanford Road when a man approached the driver, 30, and pointed a firearm at him.

While the driver attempted to grab the firearm, another armed man appeared and threatened the driver.

The assailants drove off with the bakkie and another vehicle.

Members of the Port Elizabeth dog unit recovered the vehicle and its contents in Govan Mbeki township later that day.

Shortly after 11am, another driver, 31, was held at gunpoint as he was delivering aluminium doors and windows to a house in Kwaza Street, New Brighton.

The two culprits drove off with the vehicle, but police officers found it moments later in New Brighton.

Members of the anti-gang unit found the doors and windows in an abandoned building nearby, in Mama Street.

“We are urging owners to take necessary precautions in safeguarding their property while in transit as well as ensuring the safety of their employees, ” police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said.

Drivers should always be alert, especially when stopping at traffic lights or their destination.