Two men were allegedly killed by a hitchhiker they attempted to rob on Thursday in Mpumalanga.
The hitchhiker was looking for a lift on the N4 highway near Mbombela when the two men stopped in their VW Polo to offer him a ride. Later, they stopped the car and allegedly attempted to rob him at knifepoint.
According to police, the hitchhiker drew his firearm. Two shots were fired, hitting the other two men one of whom died at the scene and the other shortly after, as he was being taken to hospital. Police are investigating a case of robbery as well as the circumstances of the men’s deaths.
A police spokesman said that knives as well as the firearm had been confiscated as part of the investigation and that they believed the men may have been involved in other armed robberies of hitchhikers on the N4.