by Zainul Dawood
Durban - The Westville Community Policing Forum has pleaded with residents not to resist when faced with armed robbers.
This after Paresh Bodalia, 46, was killed in an attempted hijacking at his Chearsley Road home on Saturday, while his children were in the car.
Bodalia, 46, also known as Splash, the owner of Powerhouse Security, became the fourth resident of the Durban suburb to be killed during robberies this year.
He had opened his front driveway gate and driven towards his double garage when a man carrying a gun approached him.
It is alleged Bodalia and a would-be hijacker exchanged fire.
Bodalia collapsed at his garage door after being shot in the head.
Throughout the ordeal, his domestic worker had shielded the children from seeing anything.
She pushed the two, twins aged 6, down on to the car seat. He had been returning from fetching her, said his brother, Kishor Bodalia.
His brother was not certain what had happened but he heard many bullet cartridges were found on the driveway.
The robbers did not take his car.
“It is alleged that Bodalia was just entering his Westville property when he was shot dead by unknown suspects,” said police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane.
Westville police are investigating a case of murder.
Rescue Care paramedics spokesman Garrith Jamieson said Bodalia was found with a single gunshot wound.
“Paramedics worked on the critically injured victim. However, the patient went into cardiac arrest. Resuscitation efforts were attempted, but they were unsuccessful and Bodalia was declared dead on the scene,” Jamieson said.
The Dawncliffe Westville Community Watch Facebook page warned against victims taking on attackers.
Bodalia was a keen bodybuilder.
His Facebook page includes a picture of him lifting up the back of a bakkie at a community event. His funeral will take place on Tuesday after 1pm at the Clare Estate Crematorium.
In March, Bodalia sponsored natural science study workbooks for Phoenix Heights Primary School.
Westville incidents
* January: Gordon Donaldson was stabbed and fatally shot in his bedroom by robbers in Gardenia Place.
* February: Piere van Schalkwyk was killed in his Alistair Road home.
* September: Gary Mackay of Duncan Road was shot dead trying to fend off robbers inside his home.
* September: Ian du Randt, 59, a Westville businessman, was shot in the toe by robbers.
* July 2015: Yashin Bagwandeen came to the aid of his family when four gunmen held them inside the home. He allegedly came out with his gun and a shoot-out ensued. He died after being shot in the head.
Statistics
The police’s official crime statistics for the year ending March 2015, showed that violent crime had increased in Westville over the previous period. Murder was up from from 2 to 9; aggravated robberies jumped from 184 to 215; and home robberies went up from 69 to 100.