Times Of Swaziland: 3 EMASWATI ARRESTED IN KZN FOR CAR HIJACKING

3 EMASWATI ARRESTED IN KZN FOR CAR HIJACKING
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Khulile Thwala on 31/03/2022 08:48:00


MBABANE – Three emaSwati and one South African have been arrested in
KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in connection with a car hijacking.
This was revealed by the South African Police Service (SAPS) Spokesperson,
Lieutenant General Mkwanazi, yesterday in an interview. The quartet was arrested
by Reaction Officers on Tuesday for a hijacking which occurred last Friday at
approximately 11pm. The victim, a Zimbabwean national, arrived at Reaction Unit
South Africa (RUSA) Headquarters requesting assistance after he noticed four men
in a Nissan NP 200 bakkie parked outside a bottle store in Redcliffe, KZN. The
names of the suspects were not revealed as they are yet to appear in court.
Hijacked
According to a statement by the Reaction Unit, the Zimbabwean national informed
the officers that the occupants of the bakkie had hijacked him of his white Opel
Corsa bakkie on Friday.
“He managed to record the registration of the suspects’ vehicle on the night
of the incident. He was in the company of a witness who confirmed that the
Nissan NP 200 bakkie, with the registration provided, was used in the commission
of the crime,” stated the Reaction Unit. It was further reported that Reaction
officers proceeded to the bottle store, where they noticed four males consuming
alcohol next to the vehicle. Officers approached the males and interviewed them.
“They behaved suspicious and repeatedly contradicted themselves with regard to
their location on the night of the hijacking. They were positively identified by
the victim and the witness as those involved in the hijacking,” further read
the statement.
According to Mkwanazi, one of the Eswatini nationals arrived in South Africa
late Saturday afternoon and he was expected to return to the kingdom later
yesterday. The Reaction Unit alleged that this liSwati had crossed the border on
Saturday to drive the hijacked vehicle back to Eswatini yesterday. “The Durban
SAPS K9 Unit was called to the scene and on arrival, searched the stolen vehicle
and the surrounding area with a specialised explosive detecting dog. The firearm
was not located. While attending to the scene, several individuals informed
Reaction officers that the occupants of the bakkie were terrorising residents in
the area,” stated the SAPS. All four suspects and the bakkie were handed over
to the Verulam SAPS in KZN for further investigation. In a previous report, a
routine patrol by the South African soldiers near Mboloba temporary base brought
an unexpected find in the form of an abandoned plastic bag. A closer look
revealed that it was packed with just under a kilogramme of dagga valued at E2
640.