There has been a rise in hijacking of Haval cars recently in Ga-Rankuwa and surrounding areas. Picture; Supplied
Pretoria - Police said they had noted a rise in car hijackings, specifically Haval models, in Ga-Rankuwa.
Spokesperson Captain Mathews Nkoadi said there had been lots of reports of hijacking of these cars recently in Ga-Rankuwa and surrounding areas.
"All people who fell victim to this crime claim to have been held up by at least three men,“ said Nkoadi.
He said preliminary investigations and information received from sources showed that the engines of the Chinese-manufactured cars were removed and fitted into Toyota Quantum minibuses.
He said victims of hijackings were advised to stay calm when held at gunpoint and to never make eye contact with the suspect.
“We request the victims to, immediately after being hijacked, seek help and contact the nearest police station for further assistance.”
Nkoadi said the police had also noticed that there were people, especially couples, who still preferred to sit and chat in their cars.
“This has also proven to be an attractive element to the hijackers, hence a strong warning is directed at such people.”
In other vehicle related crimes, spikes have been placed on the N4 to slash tyres of motorists and then rob them after they stop.
Warrant officer Johan Van Dyk said the Sinoville SAPS had been having frequent spiking incidents reports.
He said no arrests had been made as of yesterday.
“Most of the victims just drove to nearby garages, changed the damaged wheel and did not report it to SAPS,” said Van Dyk
He urged victims to report all incidents to SAPS so they could know which areas were affected by these incidents.
Crime activist Yusuf Abramjee said the criminals were brazen and had even attacked an emergency vehicle taking a patient to hospital last week.
He said SAPS had beefed up patrols on the N4 but the incidents had moved to the N1 near Hammanskraal.
Pretoria News
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