‘I am lucky that the police arrived so fast’
In the midst of all the news of robberies and the police not responding to the call for help in time, here is one story that stands out.
Twenty-four-year-old Rajiv (name changed to retain anonymity) works for a Pizza Hut franchisee in South Auckland. On a Thursday evening, his outlet received an order for about 20-25 pizzas, which he went to deliver in his car to an address only five minutes away. On arrival, the customer asked him to come up the driveway because there were so many boxes, which Rajiv agreed to.
But soon after he had driven up to the front door, he found himself being surrounded by four teenagers, who were almost twice his size. They started beating him up with a hammer, rods and a torch. When Rajiv tried to stop them, they picked him up off the ground and dangled him mid-air.
The attackers snatched away his iPhone and asked him for his car keys and wallet. They even forced him to unlock the phone.
Rajiv somehow managed to extricate himself and ran all the way to the Pizza Hut outlet. His manager called the police, who arrived promptly and escorted Rajiv back to the property to inspect the crime scene. Rajiv did not expect much to come out of this investigation. He says, “I think I am lucky that the police arrived so fast and took an interest in what had happened.”
By Saturday, the police found the car and in two weeks, three of the four teenagers were arrested. “I did not want to face those boys again. So I refused to go to the court to identify them,” says Rajiv.
One of the boys arrested has owned up, while the other two are in denial. The court trial is still on. Rajiv is still waiting for his insurance cover on the car. Yet, this is one positive story by a long shot.