NELSPRUIT – Mpumalanga police have arrested four suspects aged between 35 and 40 after they hijacked a 47-year-old man who was driving an Isuzu bakkie. The incident occurred at Vosman yesterday, Saturday 18 July 2020.
Information received indicates that the man innocently stopped and gave the four men a lift after they told him their car had broken down on the N4 national road. They then persuaded him to assist in towing the vehicle but as soon as they arrived at the said spot, they pointed him with a firearm, assaulted him as well as tied him up with a rope. They later abandoned him next to the road, towed their white Kia truck with his bakkie and fled to Gauteng.
The matter was uncovered after the man (victim) was spotted by a passer-by on the side of the road bleeding then reported the matter to the police, who swiftly attended the matter. The police together with a team of officers from Gauteng managed to trace the suspects leading to a high-speed chase which resulted in the suspects being cornered at Bedfordview.
The suspects were immediately arrested and are expected to appear at a Court in Gauteng tomorrow, Monday 20 July 2020, for possession of the suspected stolen vehicles. The four men will also be expected to appear at Emalahleni Magistrate’s Court during the course of the week for the hijacking incident.
The Provincial Commissioner of South African Police Service in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Mondli Zuma has welcomed the arrest and commended the police for their swift response in chasing after the hijacked vehicle where they even crossed provinces in pursuit of the suspects and managed to arrest them.