E-hailing Driver Nabbed for Opening False Hijacking Case After Fake Hostage Situation in Durban

• An e-hailing driver was arrested after it was discovered that he opened a fake hijacking case in Phoenix in the north of Durban
• The driver claimed he was hijacked by his passengers, held hostage at an unknown location and managed to escape
• Police have cautioned members of the public against opening false cases, as it is an offence punishable by law to open false cases

DURBAN - Police arrested an e-hailing driver for faking a hijacking over the weekend in Durban. The driver claimed he was hijacked by passengers and opened a case at the Phoenix police station.

He also claimed that he was held hostage at an unknown location and managed to escape. According to News24, the 41-year-old driver was charged with perjury and defeating the ends of justice.

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Police Spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said the Phoenix trio crime team followed up on information about the hijacked vehicle, which was later found parked at Isipingo SAPS. The driver revealed that he parked the vehicle and threw away the keys before opening the case.

The man was arrested, and his vehicle was impounded. Ngcobo warned the public against opening false cases. He added that it is punishable by law to open false cases. TimesLIVE reported that police had uncovered many similar cases.

Find Simphiwe Manzini: Woman charged after confessing she faked hijacking

In a related matter, Briefly News also reported a 28-year-old woman has been arrested by the police after she confessed that she had lied about being hijacked. South Africans launched a frantic search for the woman under the hashtag #FindSimphiwe. She had allegedly posted about her hijacking from the boot of her car which resulted in a frantic manhunt.

According to IOL, the woman had confessed to the police that she had not been hijacked and that she had faked the whole ordeal. According to Jacaranda FM the woman let people know that she was safe after the ordeal but the situation rapidly changed when it turned out all to be an elaborate lie.

Source: Briefly News