Taxi driver arrested for lying about being hijacked

A taxi driver from Midrand has been arrested for perjury after allegedly opening a false case of hijacking, claiming that his taxi was hijacked in Tembisa last month. 

Police arrested the 32-year-old suspect on Wednesday morning following investigations that uncovered that he lied about being hijacked.

"Following tireless follow-ups, the police managed to establish that the information supplied by the suspect differed with the vehicle's movements on the day of the alleged hijacking," police said in a statement. 

"When confronted with the discrepancies in his statement, the taxi driver admitted to having fabricated a hijacking, and that the story was that he [lent] the taxi to one of his friends who never returned [it]."

Police say the suspect, fearing a fallout owing to his "recklessness", cooked up a story at the Ivory Park police station, thus sending the police on a "wild-goose chase".

Station commander Brigadier David Mbongeni Ngcobo strongly condemned the suspect's conduct.

"Opening a false case is a serious offence, and the police are going to treat this matter as such. We intend dealing with this matter in such a way that whoever plans to hatch these ideas will have to think properly before going ahead," said Ngcobo.

Police said the suspect is expected to appear in the Tembisa Magistrate's Court soon.