Warning: contact crime spike in Umbilo

Blue Security has warned Umbilo residents to be vigilant following a contact crime spike at the weekend.
A gang of hijackers held up a motorist in Umbilo while she was on a school run fetching children to take them to school on Friday morning.
Blue Security community and media liaison officer Andreas Mathios said the motorist had driven into Gadshill Place at around 7.40am when she was held up by a gang of hijackers. “The hijackers drove into the road in a silver Toyota Yaris and three men jumped out, one of them went to the driver’s door and demanded that she get out of the vehicle, while the other two men removed the children, unharmed, from the vehicle. They made the children stand on the pavement with their school bags,” Mathios said.
“The suspects stole the driver’s cellphone and fled the scene in the hijacked vehicle,” he said.
Mathios added that armed had robbers targeted a resident and her friends in Stanley Road in Umbilo at around 8pm on Saturday night. “The resident’s friends had parked outside her property and as she let them out to go to their vehicle armed robbers ambushed them and held them up at gunpoint. The robbers shoved at least two of the women onto the floor and robbed them of three cellphones and cash. They fled the scene in white vehicle,” Mathios said.
Umbilo SAPS attended the scene of the crime.
In a third incident, in Archbell Road in Glenmore a domestic worked was robbed of her valuables as she walked down the road on her way to catch a taxi to the CBD at around 6.20am on Sunday. “Suspects driving a white VW Polo stopped next to her and robbed her of her cellphone, handbag and other goods. No injuries were reported,” Mathios said.
The incident was reported to the Umbilo SAPS.
Mathios said it was unclear whether the incidents were linked to the same gang. He urged residents to be vigilant and to report any suspicious activities or vehicles in the neighbourhood. “If you notice anyone loitering in the neighbourhood, using a cellphone to take photographs of homes or sitting on the street corner talking on a cellphone, report it to your neighbourhood watch group and security company to investigate. Always be vigilant when pulling into a driveway and opening your gates and check to see whether there is anyone loitering nearby before stopping or opening up,” Mathios said.
Mathios advised pedestrians to always walk in the direction of oncoming traffic to make it easier to run away should a suspicious vehicle pull up on the side of the road.