Man held after false hijack claim

A MOTOR plant industrial engineer was arrested in Port Elizabeth yesterday for allegedly falsely staging the hijacking of his car after he had used it to pay off a debt.

Anga Tyopo, 24, who works at Volkswagen SA in Uitenhage, was arrested shortly after walking into the Humewood police station’s community service centre, claiming to have been hijacked and robbed while leaving his home in Havelock Street, Central, after 6am yesterday.

“According to the complainant [Tyopo], at about 6.10am, he was closing the gates when two men armed with a firearm accosted him,” Colonel Priscilla Naidu said.

“They allegedly demanded the keys to the VW Polo and his cellphone, and then drove off in his car.

“Police immediately circulated the vehicle’s [details] on all police channels.

“After his statement had been completed, Tyopo was taken to detectives, who interrogated him.”

Naidu said Tyopo had eventually admitted to lying.

“It appears that the VW lease vehicle was taken by people he allegedly owed money to.

“The man [Tyopo] claims to have been confronted in Donkin Street on Wednesday night by a group of men who claimed he owed them money.

“He had handed over the VW Polo keys and his cellphone to the men, who had then fled.”

VWSA spokesman Matt Gennrich confirmed that Tyopo was an industrial engineer at VWSA.

“The car involved is a lease car and, yes, disciplinary action will be instituted against him by the company,” he said.

Tyopo is due to appear in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court today on charges of perjury and defeating the ends of justice.

This is the second false hijacking claim in the metro in just more than a week.

Police have warned that criminal charges and civil claims will be instituted to recoup the costs of investigations in cases involving false claims.

Last week, Simphiwe Payi, 33, was arrested after making similar claims.

Payi claimed he had been hijacked while driving his Ford Ikon in Gail Road, where the Gelvandale police station is situated.

He was unaware that the intersection where he claimed to have been hijacked had CCTV cameras linked to the 24-hour municipal control room. The cameras proved no hijacking had taken place.

When Payi reported the hijacking, police had already found his vehicle.