Durban - A Durban police dog, Molly, has been rewarded with a large tin of beef chunks smothered in jelly and gravy after helping to collar a hijacker.
Molly had led her dog handlers to the suspects cowering in a tin shack late last Thursday night.
Police had responded to a hijacking that took place in Clairwood.
Police spokeswoman, Captain Louise le Roux, said two men had been seated in their car in Clairwood when they were forced out by three gunwielding hijackers.
“The hijackers had approached the car from different sides. One of them distracted the driver by asking him for directions. They took the car and drove off.
“The owner of the vehicle, who was also carrying a gun, allegedly fired two shots at the moving vehicle. A bullet hit the trunk and the other shattered the rear window,” Le Roux said.
The hijackers abandoned the car on Gwala Road, Lamontville.
Umlazi K9 Dog Unit members Constable Musa Khanyile, Warrant Officer Gregory Strydom and Brighton Beach Detective Warrant Officer Marius Van der Looyi went in search of the suspects, with patrol dog Molly hot on the trail.
“The spoor being walked indicated that the suspects had fled in the direction of Tin Town, and were hiding in the informal settlement. Molly closed in on a shack where they were hiding. Police informers also verified that they had seen the men inside the shack. Police tactically approached the front entrance of the shack,” said Le Roux.
Standing at the door, Khanyile called out in three languages to the occupants to hand themselves over, before forcing the door open with his boot.
Molly then entered the structure with her handler, followed by Strydom and Van der Looyi.
“Molly observed a man attempting to flee the structure through an open back window, which resulted in her pouncing on the suspect and pulling him to the ground. A firearm was found concealed under a bed. Police found clothing covered in blood concealed in a dustbin. A hijacker had sustained a gunshot wound to his right arm during his altercation with the two victims during the carjacking,” Le Roux said.
Police are investigating hijacking and possession of an unlicensed firearm.
Daily News