Three men have been arrested for defeating the ends of justice after they allegedly concocted a story about being hijacked by a hitchhiker on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast.
The trio appeared in the Verulam Magistrate's Court on Monday and were released on bail of R500 each.
Police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Thulani Zwane said according to the trio - the driver of a VW Polo and his two passengers – were travelling on Watson Highway in Tongaat on Friday night when they stopped to give a hitchhiker a lift.
"The hitchhiker allegedly pointed a weapon at the driver‚ who was instructed to drive towards the Umdloti area.
"While at Umdloti‚ the said vehicle crashed into another vehicle and into a barrier. The alleged hijacker fled the scene and according to the driver‚ nothing was taken.
“Police obtained sworn statements from all three occupants of the VW Polo‚ who stated that they were hijacked."
A subsequent investigation by police revealed that “all three were lying and had opened a false case of hijacking‚” said Zwane.
"All three suspects were arrested and charged with defeating the ends of justice.
“This is once again an indication that our police officers will not condone the misuse of police resources through the opening of false cases‚" added Zwane.
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