Pregnant woman flips hijackers
A pregnant woman escaped unharmed when she reversed up an embankment and flipped her car during a hijack attempt.
|||Durban - A pregnant woman escaped unharmed when she reversed up an embankment and, with her friends screaming in the passenger seats, her car flipped over during a hijack attempt.
Shanrika Boby Pillay, 31, who is five months pregnant, had fetched two friends from Lotus Park, Isipingo, as part of a lift club she’s been involved in for 11 years.
On Wednesday she had fetched her second passenger and co-worker from Silvergull Drive at 6.30am. Her friend was in the back seat of Pillay’s Toyota Corolla when she saw a VW Polo approaching from behind and, out of courtesy, she allowed it to pass.
“The car stopped, blocking me off. Two guys jumped out with guns in their hands. One of them opened my door, cocked the gun and pointed it at my head,” she said.
Pillay closed her eyes, waiting for the bang, but instinct kicked in. She put the car in reverse and stepped on the accelerator.
Pillay said the hijacker chased after her as she drove with the door open.
In a panic, she swung the steering wheel the wrong way. With her hooter blaring and the three women screaming for help, the car mounted an embankment, flipped over and landed on its roof.
She said: “What if he took us ladies with the car?
“The seat belt restricted my movement at first. If I reached down to unclip it, he would not have hesitated to shoot me.
“I had to do something to save my friends. They are like family to me,” she said.
Sitting in an overturned car with the dashboard pressing against her stomach caused her to panic even more, she said.
Her eyes were closed when the windscreen shattered.
“I only got out of the car when I heard people ask if I was all right. I sat in fear, thinking the hijacker had followed me and was going to kill me for what I did.
“Who would come to my rescue? I wondered,” Pillay said.
She unfastened her seat belt and crawled out through the driver’s door. She then unlocked the back doors remotely and helped her friends out. The car was extensively damaged.
Pillay went for a medical check-up. She was still in pain and shock, but doctors reassured her the baby was unhurt.
Her friends were treated for slight injuries and discharged from hospital.
Pillay works as a senior transport controller for a shipping company in Durban.
“I am grateful to the community for the help and care they provided at the scene. You read about crime daily. You think you are immune to it. I would not like anyone to go through this,” she said.
Police spokeswoman, Lieutenant Nqobile Gwala, said a case of attempted carjacking had been opened at Isipingo police station.
“The suspect fled the scene. No arrests have been made yet,” Gwala said.
zainul.dawood@inl.co.za
Daily News
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