The Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) has issued a warning to the public to not buy cars through social media due to an increase in scams and hijackings in the Winterveldt area, north of Pretoria.
This was after a TMPD task team recovered a hijacked Volkswagen vehicle near Klipgat on Sunday, 22 September.
Team members rescued the driver from the boot of his car. Before the incident, he was attempting to buy a vehicle advertised on Facebook Marketplace.
Possibility of Winterveldt hijacking syndicate
TMPD Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba told The Citizen that metro police and the South African Police Service (Saps) are jointly investigating the possibility of a hijacking syndicate operating in the Winterveldt area.
According to Mahamba, the victim said he and a friend were given directions by the people who were “selling” the vehicle, only to discover that it was a trap to lure them to the area.
While they were getting directions, they saw three men approaching with firearms. The passenger managed to escape, but the driver was thrown in the trunk.
Suspects strip down hijacked car with victim in boot
The suspects then drove to Winterveldt where they stripped down the vehicle for parts, while the man was still in the boot.
Mahamba said it appears that the suspects had people on the look-out for any police vehicles, because they escaped just when task team members from the TMPD approached the scene.
A case of hijacking and kidnapping has been opened with the Saps.
Crime-ridden Winterveldt: Hijackings, vehicle theft and online robberies
The Winterveldt area has been plagued by crime related to road spiking, robberies associated with online shopping, drugs and hijacking, and motor vehicle theft.
Last month, members of the police’s stabilization task team (STT) deployed in the Tshwane district, arresting 11 suspects believed to be involved in online robberies and vehicle hijackings in the northern parts of the metro.
Winterveldt gangs
In May, more than 20 people were arrested after police pounced on two gangs in Winterveldt.
At the time, Police Spokesperson Brenda Muridili said one of the gangs was believed to be linked to a criminal network behind a spike in robberies targeting unsuspecting customers making purchases on Facebook Marketplace.
The other gang was allegedly responsible for the recent road spiking incidents. The gang targets motorists on the R80, N1 and N4 highways.
Police van hijacked, cop robbed
Meanwhile, an operational commander from Temba police station was hijacked when he drove two victims. They opened cases at the police station.
After dropping off the second victim, three armed suspects accosted him and hijacked the police van he was driving.
He was forced to drive them to Winterveldt where they robbed him of his belongings, including a cellphone and cash.
The marked police vehicle was later found abandoned on the side of the road in Winterveldt.
Police van hijacked and recovered in Winterveldt, north of Pretoria. pic.twitter.com/BKN30oVfgH
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) January 22, 2023
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