A Durban man accused of throwing rocks onto the N2 freeway from an Amanzimtoti bridge has been released by police without charge.
The man was accosted by a group of people in what many called a heavy-handed citizens' arrest.
A picture of the man being subdued by his civilian captors was widely circulated on social media. It showed him pinned against a freeway yard marker under the feet of those who had caught him.
Anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee shared the picture on his Twitter timeline‚ with some social media users commending the apprehension. Others slated the use of "excessive force" by two men who had pinned him down.
On Wednesday night‚ police spokesman Brigadier Jay Naicker said that no rock was cast onto the roadway.
"Apparently it seems like there was some misunderstanding. No rock was thrown and the person was released‚" he said.
The apprehension comes after a wave of attacks in Durban‚ one of which claimed the lives of siblings Amina and Abdhur Raheem late last year.
The Ethekwini municipality has committed to identifying rock-throwing hot spots and erect steel cages around bridges to prevent further instances.
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