Pretoria - Two men were rescued from a hijacked Toyota panel vehicle in Ekurhuleni after robbers allegedly got away with alcohol worth R200,000.
Spokesperson for the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD), Lieutenant Colonel Kelebogile Thepa said the vehicle was recovered on Monday at the N12 Etwatwa off-ramp, facing the direction of Witbank.
“Information was received by officers that there had been a hijacked motor vehicle that was spotted driving on the N12. The officers acted to the information and located the white Toyota panel van at the Etwatwa off-ramp of the N12 direction Witbank,” Thepa said.
“The EMPD officers found two male victims inside the hijacked vehicle, who allege that they were initially stopped by a police vehicle and the officers did not check anything,” she said.
“As the police left the scene, a white Mercedes Benz panel van pulled up beside the victims, and the unknown male driver of the white Mercedes Benz walked to the victim’s vehicle and asked for directions to Witbank.”
The two men alleged that the driver of the Mercedes Benz suddenly took out a firearm and pointed it at them.
The occupants of the Toyota panel van were forced into the back of the vehicle, and were joined by one of the gunmen.
“The suspects drove off with both vehicles along with the victims and stopped at the Etwatwa off-ramp. They offloaded the load that was inside the Toyota panel van, which was alcohol worth R200,000, into the Mercedes Benz panel van,” said Thepa.
“The unharmed victims were left inside the vehicle until the EMPD officers arrived. The vehicle was taken for safekeeping at the police yard.”
Thepa said no arrests have been made, and investigations are ongoing.
“Arrests are imminent,” according to the EMPD.
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