Durban motorist reclaims hijacked Toyota Etios thanks to community alert
|Published
Durban — A motorist who was hijacked in Durban on Wednesday afternoon chose not to open a case and had the vehicle handed back to them.
After 3pm, Marshall Security’s Emergency Dispatch Centre received an alert from a WhatsApp Crime Alert Group regarding a hijacking incident on Lilian Ngoyi Road, in the Morningside area.
It was alleged that two suspects who were stealing a blue Toyota Etios pointed a firearm at the owner of the vehicle who caught them in the act. The suspects then sped away in the victim’s vehicle.
Marshall Security managing director Tyron Powell said the details of the taken vehicle were circulated to their armed response officers and members of their Special Operations Team to be on the lookout.
“A short while later, a vigilant member of the public posted on the WhatsApp Crime Alert Group, reporting the vehicle was spotted at the corner of Churchill Road and Pritchard Lane, Morningside,” Powell said.
“Armed response officers swiftly responded, locating and recovering the vehicle abandoned with the vehicle’s ignition tampered with.”
Powell stated Durban Central SAPS and the vehicle owner were notified.
“The owner opted not to open a case with the SAPS and the vehicle was handed back to the owner,” he said.
Powell added: “This successful recovery underscores the importance of community vigilance and Marshall Security remains dedicated to safeguarding Morningside residents and collaborating with law enforcement to combat crime.”
Meanwhile, last month a VW Polo Vivo and a Toyota Etios were stolen in the Morningside area, in two separate incidents and were recovered in KwaMashu.
In one incident, Marshall Security’s Special Operations Team was activated by Tracker SA regarding a white VW Polo Vivo that had been stolen from a well-known shopping centre on Lilian Ngoyi Road in the Morningside area.
Powell said, acting quickly, their Special Operations Team, in collaboration with Tracker SA and KwaMashu SAPS proceeded to the last known coordinates in the KwaMashu area.
While the vehicle was not located at that spot, the compromised tracking unit was recovered at the scene. Shortly, a secondary activation from another tracking unit led the team to another location in KwaMashu where the vehicle was found abandoned.
In the second incident, Marshall Security’s Special Operations Team was informed by Bidtrack tracking of a theft of a white Toyota Etios from Rosebank Avenue in the Morningside area. In a quick response, the team collaborated with Bidtrack and the SAPS Provincial vehicle task team to trace the vehicle’s location.
The stolen vehicle’s last known coordinates led the team to the KwaMashu area, where the Toyota Etios was found abandoned.
Both vehicles were taken to KwaMashu SAPS.
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