Durban - An alleged hijacker posing as a potential buyer is expected in court for multiple cases he may have been involved in, in the Sydenham area.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala said it was alleged by the complainant that on January 20 he had received a call from a client informing him that he was interested in buying the vehicle he was selling.
She said that on May 25, at 11.30am, he met with two men on Umgeni Road in Springfield Park.
“It is alleged that the men requested to test drive the vehicle and while driving towards N2 freeway southbound, a man who was seated behind him held a firearm to his head. They drove to Mobeni cemetery where they dropped him,” Gwala said.
“A 34-year-old suspect was arrested for carjacking.”
Gwala said the suspect was expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
According to more information believed to be from the police, Sydenham detectives made the arrest.
The suspect’s modus operandi is that the victims advertise the sale of their vehicles on Facebook, Gumtree etc, and the suspect will pose as a potential buyer. The suspect, an Indian man and his friend, an unknown black man, would phone the victims showing interest in vehicles for sale and tell the victims to meet with them at Makro, Springfield and KFC, Springfield respectively.
On meeting with their victims the suspects would request a test drive from Springfield to the N2 southbound, and when they reached Higginson Highway, the victims would be held up with a point 38 revolver and ordered out of their vehicles. The two suspects would then drive away with victims' vehicles.
“Whoever has cases with the same modus operandi in their station areas must come forth with their dockets in order to link the suspect to other cases,” (sic) read the information.
It said the suspects would be remanded back to Sydenham police cells so that ID parades would be held on other cases for linkages.
Daily News