A Wespark grandfather and his domestic worker were left traumatized after they took cover, post-witnessing three armed thugs hijacking a car parked outside a neighbour’s house, this past Tuesday (February 20) at around 7am.
According to eye-witness, Bobby Pillay (62), he was unlocking the gate to his Bosbok Street house, to let in the domestic worker, when they suddenly noticed three armed thugs accost Darius Bechan (26) who lived a few houses away. Darius, who runs a lift club business, had been parked on the road not far away from Bobby's house, waiting to pick up one of his passengers, when the drama unfolded.
“A strange white car appeared with three suspects in the vehicle, who drove really close to Darius’ BMW. Darius is a close friend of mine. He operates a lift club and was waiting outside to pick up another neighbour for work,” Bobby said.
“After suddenly jumping out of their vehicle, the thugs forced their way into the BMW at gun point. They then threatened him and forced him to drive away. It all happened so fast. The white car had pulled up alongside Darius and the armed suspects threatened to shoot him if he did not cooperate with them. My domestic worker, Isabel, began screaming and I told her to take cover. We both hid behind a wall, because we were so terrified.”
Bobby added: “After the hijacking, I quickly told my daughter, Anneline to call the police and inform them of the hijacking and that the victim had been taken with his vehicle.”
Anneline said, “The police responded to my call and were at the scene in about five minutes. Our area is getting more dangerous by the day. This is the third time we have experienced an issue related to crime, recently. The Wespark area is fast becoming a hotspot for house robberies and other criminal activities,” Anneline exclaimed.
Darius was found, and his vehicle recovered, in Atteridgeville by members of the Pretoria West SAPS. The thugs had abandoned the BMW at around 1pm."
According to Darius, the thugs drove to an area that he did not recognize, all the while threatening to kill him. He surmised that the thugs eventually abandoned the vehicle and left him, due to a tracking device they discovered underneath the dashboard. “The criminals frantically tried to strip the device but failed after numerous attempts, before fleeing with the keys of the vehicle.” Darius was left behind with his car on Khoza Street in Atteridgeville.
Speaking to the Laudium Sun, Darius said that he was extremely traumatized by the incident.
Communications officer for the Pretoria West SAPS, Cpt James Gumede, said that house burglaries and hijackings were on the rise in the Wespark area.
“Residents are warned to ensure that security measures are put in place, such as installing burglar guards. If leaving your premises for a long period, it is important to plan your route and let someone know what your route is and when to expect you at your destination, to avoid waiting for too long, thereby giving criminals the opportunity to strike,” Gumede advised.
The area on Bosbok Street in Wespark where Darius Bechan was hijacked.
Shocked neighbour, Bobby Pillay, says crime is out of control in Wespark.