The Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) has issued a stern warning to motorists plying the N4 highway following a recent hijacking incident by impostors masquerading as metro police officers.
The false officers, driving a vehicle marked as a TMPD kombi, have reportedly been targeting trucks on the N4 highway.
N4 highway a hotspot for hijackers posing as Tshwane Metro Police
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On the evening of Sunday, 9 October 2023, a truck driver fell victim to a hijacking orchestrated by two individuals donned in TMPD uniforms.
The alleged suspects were driving a marked kombi with blue lights and a siren resembling a legitimate TMPD vehicle. The incident transpired between the N4 Platinum Highway and the R80 Soshanguve off-ramp.
The deceptive duo employed a common traffic stop tactic to flag down the unsuspecting truck driver, directing him to pull over to the side of the road to inspect a purported faulty brake light.
Upon compliance, the suspects brandished a firearm, ordering the driver to alight from his truck and walk towards their kombi. Seizing the moment, the impostors hijacked the truck and sped off, leaving the driver stranded yet unharmed by the roadside.
In the wake of this alarming event, the TMPD has fervently disassociated itself from these criminals, stressing that the individuals involved are not affiliated with the TMPD.
An investigation into the incident is underway, aiming to bring the culprits to book and restore the tarnished image of the TMPD.
“If there is any suspicion when stopped, officers can be requested to produce their appointment certificates,” the TMPD revealed.
An example of this was highlighted in a dashcam video that’s since gone viral, where a motorist refused to comply with a suspicious-looking man, who brazenly donned a traffic officer’s uniform without a badge.