Durban - A Mariannhill woman escaped with her life at the weekend when she was hijacked while waiting in her sister’s driveway before attending a Women’s Day event in Queensburgh.
Vimla Reddy was held up by three men who demanded she get out of the vehicle and then fired a shot before driving off, her husband Timothy Reddy said on Monday night.
The car was recovered two hours later in Mpumalanga township.
“There was a Tracker on the vehicle… it was taken at 7.50am and recovered at about 10.30am,” he said.
He said he was relieved his wife had escaped unhurt.
“The bullet went through the purse in her handbag - we don’t know if they were aiming at her,” he said.
“One of the men was not aggressive. He said they did not want to hurt her, but that she must just get out of the vehicle. The other one was very aggressive - and that’s the guy who fired the shot.”
Blue Security managing director Henk van Bemmelen said the hijacking followed a string of armed robberies in the Highway area in recent weeks.
“A hijacking can be avoided if motorists are alert to their surroundings.
“Rather take a drive around the block or go to the police station and call your security company if you notice any suspicious-looking vehicles lurking near your home.”
Prime times for hijackings are early mornings, evenings and lunch time when people come and go from home with children, he said.
The police confirmed they were investigating a case of hijacking.
The Mercury