An Indian-origin girl was shot at and killed during a botched carjacking in South Africa's Chatsworth, an Indian township in Durban.
Sadia Sukhraj, a nine-year-old, was on her way to school with her father when the incident occurred. The men reportedly sped away with Sadia after forcing her father out of the car. The suspects crashed the car near a park in an ensuing chase and the girl was found shot.
Although Sadia was rushed to a hospital she succumbed to her injuries.
One of the suspects remains at large and another one has been arrested. A third suspect was killed during the car chase.
KwaZulu-Natal police Captain Nqobile Gwala told News24 that a team of forensic experts were 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.
Mahendra Lillkan, chairperson of the local Crime Forum, told news agency PTI that there had been a spike in crime in the area. "It seems that the criminals have now resorted to striking at soft targets, such as parents taking their children to school, as we have seen with this tragic incident."
