Durban - A 47-year-old taxi driver was killed in a hijacking incident on North Coast Road in the Avoca area of Durban on Monday while his chopped up taxi was recovered an hour later in the Cottonlands area near Verulam.
Marshall Security managing director Tyron Powell, said that on Monday night at approximately 7.20pm the Emergency Dispatch Centre was alerted to a possible pedestrian vehicle accident.
He said armed response officers and Special Operations Team members were immediately dispatched to the scene where initial reports indicated that a pedestrian had been struck by a Toyota Quantum taxi on North Coast Road in the Avoca area.
Powell said the initial reports also indicated that the taxi had fled the scene.
However, Powell said upon the arrival of members at the scene, it was established that a hijacking had taken place.
“During the incident the taxi driver had been fatally shot and left on the side of the road,” he said.
According to Powell, the scene was immediately cordoned off by the Marshall Security team to preserve the crime scene for evidence collection once the SAPS arrived.
“A spent 9mm cartridge was also found on the scene,” he said.
He said Marshall then received an activation by Tracker SA to assist with locating the hijacked taxi.
Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) spokesperson Prem Balram said they were also activated by Tracker SA at approximately 7.53pm.
“Reaction Officers and Tracker members proceeded to the co-ordinates and recovered several body panels, seats, the dash board and lights belonging to the sought after vehicle dumped in a field,” said Balram.
@marshall.security Taxi Driver Fatally Shot For Vehicle Found Stripped Bare Within An Hour.
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Powell said Marshall members also went to the location and found what was left of the taxi.
“Within an hour of the hijacking taking place to the vehicle being found, the suspects had completely pulled the taxi apart. A search was conducted for the wanted hijackers but they had fled without a trace,” said Powell.
Powell said the scene was secured and handed over to Greenwood Park SAPS for further investigation and processing.
“This is the third incident with a similar modus operandi where Toyota Quantum taxi drivers were hijacked on North Coast Road over the past two months,” he said.
KZN provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nqobile Gwala confirmed that Greenwood Park police were called out to a murder scene on North Coast Road.
Gwala said upon arrival officers were shown a 47-year-old man with gunshot wounds to his neck.
“He was declared dead on the scene. It was alleged by an eyewitness that the deceased was shot and pushed out of the kombi that he was driving by the suspects who fled,” she said.
Gwala said the vehicle was recovered.
Police said charges of murder and carjacking were opened for investigation.
