DURBAN Three suspects will appear at the Estcourt Magistrate’s Court for carjacking and possession of an unlicensed firearm. The suspects are in police custody after they were arrested by Ezakheni police officers on the R74 highway on 20 December 2019.

Ezakheni police were on the R74 when they spotted a vehicle driving recklessly on the road and instructed the occupants to stop. The occupants sped off and a chase ensued. Police cornered the vehicle on the R74 highway towards Weenen. The vehicle had five occupants, two of whom were found bound with ropes and the three men who hijacked them. A pistol with seven rounds of ammunition was recovered from the suspects.

It is alleged that a 19-year-old man was stationery on the R103 highway assisting an elderly man to get into the vehicle when three men who were standing few meters away, pretended to be hitchhikers. They got into the vehicle and forced the driver and the elderly man into the vehicle at gunpoint. They drove off on the R74 highway where they were spotted by the Ezakheni police officers. The suspects aged between 22 and 27 were immediately arrested for hijacking and possession of a firearm as well as ammunition.

The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Khombinkosi Jula commended the police officers for their alertness. We will maintain visibility throughout the festive period to remove criminals off our streets, he said.

Source: South African Police Service