INLSA
Vishnu Singh looks at the bullet holes in his truck after he was shot at during a robbery this week. Singh endured a six-hour ordeal at the hands of the robbers. Picture: Zanele Zulu
Truck owner/driver Vishnu Singh thought his time was up when a gun was cocked and pointed at his head when he was held up on the N3.
Singh, 47, of Parlock, was shot at and held hostage for six hours, during which he was chained to a tree.
The owner of SNT Carriers was driving his truck to Cape Town on Wednesday when he stopped for a rest near the Bergville tollgate at midnight.
An emotional and shocked Singh said yesterday that he thought the men were there to assist the driver of another truck which had broken down, and which he had parked behind.
“They fired two shots through the cab while I was inside.
“Two of the men then got into the truck, yanked me out and dragged me into a bush,” he said.
“They then held two guns at my head.”
Despite his giving them R2 100 in cash, the men demanded more money and his bank card. Scared that the men would kill him he gave them the card and pleaded for his life.
“One of the men kept yelling that they must shoot me.”
Two of the men then drove to an ATM while one remained with Singh. However, the two returned angry after being unable to use Singh’s card.
Singh then handed over a second card which he had hidden in his underwear.
“They were angry and cocked the gun and pointed it to my head. I quickly pulled the card out of my underwear and begged for my life.”
The men then withdrew about R11 000 from Singh’s account, and robbed him of his cellphone, jewellery and GPS device.
They tied a T-shirt around his head, took him to another bushy place and chained him to a tree.
“I screamed for help until I got tired. I thought I was going to die because my face was blocked and I did not know if anyone would come and help me.”
After numerous attempts, Singh managed to free himself and ran to the tollgate, from where he contacted the police.
“The police were very helpful. They took me to a hospital, where I received treatment, and they managed to retrieve my truck quickly.
Police spokesman Thulani Zwane said Singh had sustained slight injuries in the incident.
He added that police had recovered the stolen truck about 10km away, where the men had abandoned it.
“The load was intact. The N3 Project Task Team, with investigating officers based in Ladysmith, is investigating a case of truck jacking,” said Zwane.
