MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison Mr Willies Mchunu applauds the police for their swift reaction in successfully and immediately heading to the aid of the hijacked Inanda driver this morning, 15 July 2011.
Preliminary reports revealed that a taxi driver was transporting commuters from Inanda to town (Durban) as he always does. It is alleged that among the passengers he had, five of them were criminals. After he had dropped the rest of the passengers in town, the remaining five, hijacked the driver at gun point forcing him to drive to Clairewood.
The four criminals tried to rob a tavern in Clairewood whilst the fifth guarded the driver at gun point to use his vehicle as a getaway car after the robbery. It is alleged that the fifth received a call and went outside the vehicle to answer and the driver reacted smartly by calling the police.
The dog unit arrived at the crime scene immediately after the call and a chase and shoot out between the police and the criminals on the N2 North near Edwen Swales ensued. Two criminals died on the scene and the other three sustained gunshot wounds and were rushed to an unnamed hospital under heavy police guard to receive medical attention. The driver and the police were not harmed.
“I would like to applaud the police for immediately heading to the call and acting promptly in dealing with these criminal elements. I would also like to commend the driver for his bravery in calling the police in such a hostile and dangerous situation. This should serve as a lesson to all criminals that our police force will stop at nothing to make sure that they defend and protect the lives of the innocent civilians,” said Mchunu.
Enquiries:
Kwanele Ncalane
Cell: 079 699 5755 or 072 803 1462
Source: KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport
MEC Mchunu applauds police for successfully and immediately heading to the aid of hijacked Inanda driver in Durban
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