Durban – Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) recovered an alleged hijacked vehicle in Cornubia after a tip-off from a social media post.
Rusa spokesperson Prem Balram said the vehicle was taken during a robbery where employees were held up at a service station in Verulam, North of Durban on Saturday night.
Balram said that three men held up employees in the store and stole an undisclosed amount of cash.
“A silver Hyundai i20 was taken during a robbery at a Verulam service station. Members of Reaction Unit South Africa were dispatched to the service station at approximately 20.16. On arrival, it was established that three men robbed the store and hijacked a vehicle from a patron.”
Balram added that one shot was fired which struck the passenger door.
“The driver was forced out of the vehicle which the suspects sped off in.”
According to Balram, the information was immediately circulated on the Rusa Facebook page.
“Rusa, thereafter, received a tip-off that the sought-after vehicle was abandoned on an unpaved road in Cornubia – KZN. Reaction officers proceeded to the location and recovered the car.”
In a separate incident earlier in this month, ‘The Mercury’ reported that Mi7 National Group recovered a vehicle in Church Street which was hijacked from the Townhill area, outside Pietermaritzburg in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Mi7 said that just after midnight they were contacted by a Townhill resident reporting the incident.
“Mi7 Armed Response units were immediately dispatched to the location given, and found a man who was in distress. The man said he was hijacked by three men. A description of the vehicle, a white Audi, was obtained and circulated among Mi7 reaction officers.”
Mi7 officers in Townhill, the CBD, Hilton, and Northdale conducted a widespread search monitoring common entry and exit points.
“In just eight minutes after the information was distributed, Mi7 units in the CBD spotted the vehicle abandoned near Church Street. Mi7 reaction officers escorted the man to his car and the matter was handed over to the police for further investigation.”
Police have been approached for comment.