MOPANI – The police in Mopani are investigating a case of armed robbery, following an incident that took place along the Hoedspruit to Kapula road last Friday night at about 20:30.

According to the spokesperson of the police in the area, Const Sylvia Hlongwane, it is alleged that the complainant, Mr Kenneth Mathebula (24), was driving his company vehicle along the road when the incident occurred.

Along the way, he was stopped by a grey BMW car. The complainant told the police that he thought the people who were stopping him were the police as their vehicle had a blue light similar to that of the police on the roof. When he stopped four men emerged from the BMW and came straight to him. They were all armed with fire-arms.

According to the police statement, the gunmen ordered the complainant to get out of his vehicle at gunpoint. They then grabbed him and threw him inside the boot of their car and drove away. He told the police that the robbers drove around with him throughout the night before dumping him in the bushes near Gravellote the following morning at about 04:00.

He then met a certain man who works as a security guard at a lodge in Gravellote. The man accompanied him to the local police station where he reported the matter. According to the police statement, the complainant was in a state of confusion at the time when he reported the matter to the police and it was difficult for him to relate the whole story in full.

The stolen vehicle was recovered by the police in the bushes near Lulekani in the Phalaborwa area the following morning. The statement indicates that the robbers abandoned the vehicle after it had been involved in an accident. The complainant was not injured during the incident and the robbers were stil at large at the time of going to press.