‘Ididn’tcry,orit would get worse’
Woman tells of frightening ordeal when kidnapped by three armed men
“I TOLD them if they are going to kill me, do it one time.”
That was Durban resident Marta Rubilar, who was abducted by hijackers outside her work in Powell Road, Morningside, early yesterday morning.
News of her abduction at about 7.40am in the side lane off Umgeni Road spread quickly across Whatsapp groups.
This was intensified when a video clip of her abduction by three armed men was released on social media.
In the clip, Rubilar is seen parking and getting out of her Polo, while the men emerge from another Polo parked slightly in front of her on the road.
They grab Rubilar and bundle her into her vehicle. One of the assailants pushes her in and jumps into the back after her, while another gets into the driver’s seat, and the third gets back into their vehicle, carrying her handbag.
The two vehicles leave the scene with the back door of the hijacked vehicle still slightly open.
Speaking yesterday after she had safely returned to work, Rubilar shared the details of the hijacking and her kidnapping.
“They came towards me and took my keys and my bag. I saw the gun pointing at me, I couldn’t see anything else. They pushed me into my car and one person pushed my head down and covered my face. He kept his hand on my head, holding it down.
“I knew I had to stay calm. I didn’t cry or it would just get worse.
“They said I had to follow instructions and they wanted my PIN number or they would kill me. I told them if they were going to kill me, do it one time.
“But they didn’t hurt me at all. The person sitting next to me treated me well. We drove around for a while and we stopped a couple of times,” said Rubilar.
With her head held down, Rubilar said she had no idea where she was.
“They stopped the car and told me to get out fast. I asked them if they were not going to kill me could they please give me back my papers, reading glasses and my house keys, which they did.
“When I got out of the car, I still didn’t know where I was, but there were some small houses around.
“I tried flagging down a few cars and then a couple stopped. They took me to the police station, I don’t even remember their names, but I’d like to say a big thank you to them.”
Her colleagues were full of smiles when she was found.
One of the staff had been sitting on a wall as the hijacking unfolded and saw one of the armed men go across the road.
“I had seen Marta getting out of her car and when I saw the man carrying a gun going towards her I ran inside, shouting, to raise the alarm.”
Police and security companies were alerted by her colleagues, who gathered in a circle and prayed for her safe return.
Marshall Security spokesperson Kyle van Reenen confirmed later yesterday that Matrix Vehicle Tracking and Marshall Security found the vehicle in Kwamashu C-section.
SAPS spokesperson Lieutenant-colonel Thulani Zwane confirmed the details of the hijacking yesterday and said that Rubilar’s vehicle had been found in Kwamashu.
“The suspects drove away with her and later she was dropped off along the road in Newlands East.
“The suspects are still at large. Charges of car-jacking and kidnapping will be opened at Berea Police Station for investigation.”