Reservoir Hills resident, 57, still missing after hijacking

Reservoir Hills resident Ajith “Hemmie” Durga, 57, is still missing following an alleged hijacking near the Umgeni Bird Park last week.

Mr Durga, an employee at Ganga Plumbers for over a decade, was reported missing by his company after the Toyota Hilux bakkie he was driving was found abandoned near Inanda Dam by a tracking company.

Mr Durga was unmarried and had no children. According to his sister-in-law, Jenita Durga, he was last seen near Plumblink where he was supposed to pick up supplies but never arrived.

“We believe he was hijacked near the bird park. His phone has been off and no one has been able to contact him since 2pm on Wednesday. We are praying for his safe return.”

Prem Balram from Reaction Unit South Africa reported that multiple search efforts were currently under way to find Mr Durga.

“A helicopter and a search crew of about 47 people have been out today to locate him. We followed the tracking path the vehicle took along the dam both from the air and on foot, but so far, we have not found anything. Unfortunately, we had to land the helicopter due to strong winds, but there are still search crews on foot in the area,” said Mr Balram.

He said Ganga Plumbers had been part of the search for their missing employee.

The community remains hopeful for Mr Durga’s safe return as the search continues.