A PIETERMARITZBURG man who went missing for 48 hours after attending a work event, allegedly had his drink spiked causing him to lose consciousness.
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A PIETERMARITZBURG man who went missing for 48 hours after attending a work event, allegedly had his drink spiked causing him to lose consciousness.
The 61-year-old then allegedly later woke up at a shelter in the Durban CBD, and walked 60km to get back to his home.
Denzil Govender, the director of Ground Z3ro Search & Rescue, said on Saturday, the man and his colleagues decided to have a team-building barbecue at the Blue Lagoon.
He said they were supposed to be picked up by their taxi at 6pm to head back to Pietermaritzburg.
“However, when the time came, the man was nowhere to be found. Despite their efforts to find him, his team had no choice but to leave without him as the taxi had to depart on schedule and had already been postponed for five hours due to the search.”
Govender said when they received word of the man’s disappearance, Darryll Pillay, a dedicated member of the team based in Pietermaritzburg, immediately sprang into action.
“He met with the man’s family and together they made the decision to go to Durban to join forces with the rest of our crew to search for the man. The Ground Z3ro team made their way to Durban CBD ready to launch a search for the man. The team, together with several stakeholders, initiated coordinated searches of various locations in Durban CBD.
“We met with civilians at the Pietermaritzburg Taxi rank, who confirmed that they had seen him walking in the vicinity earlier. A shop owner on Grey Street provided detailed information, confirming that he had been seen heading in the direction of the Pietermaritzburg Taxi rank.
“Armed with this valuable information, our team along with the family members of the man, continued to follow the trail in hopes of finding him,” he said.
Govender said however, due to heavy downpour, they decided to stop the search.
“The plan was to regroup and strategies on another day to resume the search for the man. However, the family returned home to find that the man had returned. He had walked all the way to Camperdown before a policeman stopped and had assisted in taking him to his home.
“A provincial ambulance was dispatched to assess the man as he appeared delusional, distressed and had developed severe blisters on his feet from walking a considerable distance before receiving assistance. He was taken to hospital for further care he required,” he said.
Govender said the man relayed what allegedly occurred on the day of his disappearance.
“He mentioned that while he was with his team, they noticed a few vehicles parked nearby. Other people were also seen relaxing and having a good time with some drinks. He said one of the men from the neighbouring vehicles walked up to him and extended a friendly offer of a drink. They introduced themselves as new friends and suggested they share a drink together.
“He alleged that after consuming the drink, his memory became hazy, and the next thing he knew, he found himself waking up in what he found to be a shelter in the Durban CBD
“It had been discovered that there is a group of individuals who target innocent people and give them alcohol laced with a potent concoction that leaves them feeling vulnerable and disoriented, before robbing them and abandoning them at a shelter in the Durban CBD,” he said.
Govender said the man alleged that he regained consciousness in the early hours of the following morning (Sunday) and found himself in one of the many shelters in the Durban CBD.
“The man said he discovered that he had been robbed of his cellphone, money, and other belongings. He felt helpless and bewildered as he tried to piece together what had happened to him.
“Feeling desperate and alone, he tried to find a way home but faced many challenges as people refused to help him. He felt lost and vulnerable, unsure of how he would make it back to safety. He sought help at one of the taxi ranks in Durban, only to be informed that no taxis to Pietermaritzburg were available.
“Undeterred, he continued his journey on foot towards his distant destination to where the policeman had helped him home from Camperdown. He had walked a staggering 60km from Durban CBD to Camperdown before getting any assistance.
“Information was provided to the South African Police Services for further investigation into the individuals who have been robbing innocent people and investigations are underway,” he said.