A Beacon Bay woman unwittingly led police to the body of a Mdantsane taxi driver who had been hijacked and later murdered in Cambridge on Sunday evening.
Police spokesman Captain Mluleki Mbi, said the 27-year-old driver, who cannot be named until his next-of-kin have identified him, was hijacked in NU9.
He was shot in the leg, thrown into the back of his vehicle by the men, who then drove away with him. His life ended on the side of a Cambridge road with a bullet to the back of his head.
His body was then dumped over a cliff in the area.
Mbi said the men involved in the murder “shot him and dumped his body in a bush in Highgate, Cambridge”.
The men then drove the man’s vehicle, a red Mazda 323, to the East London CBD.
Mbi said there a young woman who was waiting for a taxi to Nompumelelo, had stopped the vehicle just after 7pm thinking it was a taxi.
“She got inside the vehicle thinking it was a taxi, and her worst fears were realised when the driver took a detour to Cambridge, where the suspects robbed her of belongings.
“She managed to jump out of the car while it was moving and fled to a nearby house in Cambridge West, where the homeowner called police on her behalf,” Mbi said.
A police van arrived shortly after being summoned and took the woman to the Cambridge police station to give a statement.
Just after 8pm when police were finished taking her statement they offered her a lift home.
“As they were driving out of Cambridge the woman spotted the Mazda and police cornered it,” Mbi said.
He said the police searched the vehicle and found the woman’s belongings and a firearm inside.
“They noticed bloodstains in the car and upon further questioning, the suspects said they had shot and killed a man in Highgate,” said Mbi.
At the time, the police were not aware of the hijacking and murder incident.
“We became aware of this serious crime because of a single complaint from this woman.
“Everything unfolded after she laid a complaint,” Mbi said.
The man’s body was only retrieved yesterday morning after search-and-rescue officers were called to the scene to assist.
His employer was only told of the murder when he went to open a missing person’s case at the NU1 police station yesterday afternoon.
Mbi said the men would appear in the East London Magistrate Court tomorrow on charges of murder, robbery and carjacking. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
Four held for taxi driver’s murder
Police spokesman Captain Mluleki Mbi, said the 27-year-old driver, who cannot be named until his next-of-kin have identified him, was hijacked in NU9.
He was shot in the leg, thrown into the back of his vehicle by the men, who then drove away with him. His life ended on the side of a Cambridge road with a bullet to the back of his head.
His body was then dumped over a cliff in the area.
Mbi said the men involved in the murder “shot him and dumped his body in a bush in Highgate, Cambridge”.
The men then drove the man’s vehicle, a red Mazda 323, to the East London CBD.
Mbi said there a young woman who was waiting for a taxi to Nompumelelo, had stopped the vehicle just after 7pm thinking it was a taxi.
“She got inside the vehicle thinking it was a taxi, and her worst fears were realised when the driver took a detour to Cambridge, where the suspects robbed her of belongings.
“She managed to jump out of the car while it was moving and fled to a nearby house in Cambridge West, where the homeowner called police on her behalf,” Mbi said.
A police van arrived shortly after being summoned and took the woman to the Cambridge police station to give a statement.
Just after 8pm when police were finished taking her statement they offered her a lift home.
“As they were driving out of Cambridge the woman spotted the Mazda and police cornered it,” Mbi said.
He said the police searched the vehicle and found the woman’s belongings and a firearm inside.
“They noticed bloodstains in the car and upon further questioning, the suspects said they had shot and killed a man in Highgate,” said Mbi.
At the time, the police were not aware of the hijacking and murder incident.
“We became aware of this serious crime because of a single complaint from this woman.
“Everything unfolded after she laid a complaint,” Mbi said.
The man’s body was only retrieved yesterday morning after search-and-rescue officers were called to the scene to assist.
His employer was only told of the murder when he went to open a missing person’s case at the NU1 police station yesterday afternoon.
Mbi said the men would appear in the East London Magistrate Court tomorrow on charges of murder, robbery and carjacking. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
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