Despite arrests and recovery of goods, hijacking of cigarette vans continues

THE Hawks are searching for six men in connection with a string of hijackings and armed robberies of British American Tobacco vans in the Eastern Cape.

The crimes occurred between July last year and May this year.

CCTV images of the suspects – which appear on this page – relate to ongoing investigations into a number of reported incidents in East London, King William’s Town and Alice.

Police spokesman Captain Stephen Marais said the suspects should be considered armed and dangerous.

“They use the same modus operandi, stalking a cigarette delivery van and pouncing when employees are offload boxes of cigarettes to the clients,” Marais said.

In a case on April 22, a BAT employee making a delivery to a Scenery Park Phase 3 spaza shop was accosted by two armed men just before 8am.

The men demanded he hand over the keys. They made him sit in the middle seat and drove away, demanding that he look down and not at them.

The men drove to a secluded spot where a getaway vehicle was waiting for them.

They off loaded cigarette boxes into the getaway vehicle before fleeing, leaving the driver and his empty truck behind.

In another case, a 39-yearold BAT driver making deliveries to a tavern in Sweetwaters outside King William’s Town on December 29 last year was robbed.

He was approached by two robbers who demanded keys, money and his cellphone. They forced him into the van and drove away to a remote gravel road.

There they off loaded boxes of cigarettes valued at R100 000 into a getaway vehicle before fleeing.

In a third case on May 6 this year, a 36-year-old BAT driver making deliveries to the Star Save Market in Alice was approached by an armed robber.

He was ordered to get into the van. A second robber also got in. They drove to a secluded area, unpacked the goods and left in a getaway vehicle.

A suspect in this case is also wanted in connection with two other cases of hijacking and robberies involving BAT vans in Middledrift and Cambridge.

Marais was yesterday unable to provide details for the other three robberies.

In a separate incident on Christmas Eve last year a 23year-old BAT driver making deliveries to an Amalinda spaza shop was held up and robbed.

Marais said although police had made some arrests and recovered large quantities of stolen cigarettes in recent months, the hijackings and robberies continued.

He said anyone with information on the whereabouts of any of the suspects pictured, is asked to call Hawks investigating officer Detective Constable Papama Zakade on 071-481-3080 or his office line on (043) 709-0613. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za