A nine-year-old girl of Indian-origin was killed during a botched carjacking in South Africa’s Durban city on Monday, News24 reported.
The girl’s death triggered protests from the Indian-origin community in the area. The police used rubber bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades to disperse the protestors, PTI reported.
The accused allegedly threw Sadia Sukhraj’s father out of the car before trying to flee with it. A gunfight then ensued between the carjackers and several bystanders in the Indian-dominated neighbourhood. However, police are yet to confirm if the girl’s father fired shots at the car.
A suspected carjacker also died in the incident. A local policeman arrested another suspect, and a hunt is underway for a third.
KwaZulu-Natal police Captain Nqobile Gwala told News24 that the forensics team was collecting evidence from the scene. “At this stage, we cannot confirm whether the suspect died from gunshot wounds or the injuries he sustained when the hijacked vehicle overturned, after it collided with a truck while fleeing along Caucus Street in Shallcross,” Gwala said.
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