In a major breakthrough against a spate of attacks on motorists on the N2 highway, police have arrested four individuals.
Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirmed the arrests on Thursday afternoon, stating that the suspects, aged between 20 and 23, had been charged with murder and armed robbery and are due to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
The arrest was the result of an intelligence-driven operation involving officers from the Cato Manor Task Team and Detectives.
The suspects are believed to have been involved in a series of armed robberies along the N2 highway, particularly in the Chesterville area.
According to Netshiunda, the group's modus operandi involved throwing stones at vehicles and placing rocks on the freeway to cause accidents.
The stranded motorists would then be robbed, with instances even escalating to murder.
The suspects have been charged in connection with the murder of a 32-year-old man found along the N2 southbound at Wiggins in Cato Manor on the morning of July 9, 2023. Netshiunda expects more arrests in the near future.
Police are urging motorists who have fallen victim to such attacks along the N2 and other local routes and haven't yet reported the incidents to come forward.
Earlier this week, a man was stabbed after his vehicle crashed due to rocks deliberately placed on the N2 near Chesterville.
ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson warned that the area has become notorious for such incidents, advising motorists to avoid night travel on this stretch of the N2. In a separate incident in November, a man in his 50s was fatally struck by a vehicle as he attempted to escape from robbers after his car broke down due to rocks placed on the road.
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