A MARBURG car enthusiast was shot dead during a cash-in-transit heist on the N2 near Ifafa on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast after the robbers allegedly mistook his Isuzu double cab, fitted with a strobe light, as a security vehicle.
Caylin Lee Naidoo, 23, the owner of Leez Trucking, was on his way to Marburg from Durban, after fetching his uncle from hospital, when he was shot in the head as he approached the heist scene. The bullet had come through the windscreen.
According to witness reports from Arrive Alive, it had been alleged the robbers blew up an armoured G4S van, transporting cash, before looting it. Three of the security guards sustained minor injuries and one was assaulted by the robbers.
In an interview with the POST before Caylin’s funeral service last Saturday, Ruben Naidoo said his nephew had fetched him from the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital three days earlier where he had an angiogram.
“Caylin was in Durban for some errands and he fetched me from the hospital to take me back home to Marburg. When he came to the hospital, the doctor had still not signed my discharge. I told Caylin to carry on without me and I would take the hospital bus back home. He refused and insisted on waiting for me,” Naidoo said.
He said Caylin waited in his car for two hours before he was discharged.
“He helped me to the vehicle and made sure I was comfortable. I was feeling drowsy from the medication. Caylin dropped the seat so I could lie down. For most of the journey home, I was asleep,” Naidoo said.
He said he woke up when he heard his nephew shout at him to “stay down”.
“The van was still moving and when I looked at Caylin, I saw that a bullet had struck him in the head. He just looked at me, smiled and slumped into his seat. I was in shock and was screaming for him to wake up. I tried to take control of the vehicle. I saw one of the robbers coming towards our van.
“I tried to steer the van away. I then noticed that more robbers were in a vehicle and coming towards me. I managed to keep the van on the road for a few meters. I feared for my life and knew I needed to get away. I got out of the van, jumped over a rail on the side of the road and hid in the bushes,” a distraught Naidoo said.
He said the robbers went to the van and looked around for about 20 minutes before leaving.
“At this point, I went back to the van and phoned my brother, who is Caylin’s dad, and told him what had happened. He alerted the police and ambulance services.”
An emotional Naidoo said he and Caylin were “good friends” and shared a strong bond.
“We did not have an uncle and nephew relationship. Caylin was a very respectful child. He was a role-model to my sons, who are 12 and 6 years old. There was no fault in him and he was loved by everyone.”
Caylin’s cousin, Michelle Beachen, said the family believed the robbers had mistook his Isuzu double cab, fitted with a strobe light, as a security vehicle.
Caylin’s vehicle was used for breakdowns for his trucks and was fitted with an orange strobe light.
Beachen said Caylin was self-motivated.
“He matriculated from Port Shepstone Secondary and went on to open his own trucking company. He had two trucks at the time of his death.”
She said he loved cars from the time he was a little boy and owned a white BMW E30 325i.
“Last year his car was selected to be featured in the ‘Gas Motor Show’ but he could not participate because our grandmother had passed on. He was selected again for the show, which takes place in June. But he is no more.”
She said his parents Devan and Jenny and younger brother, Kreneshen, were shattered by his death.
Beachen said it was upsetting when innocent lives were lost through crime.
“We see the headlines online and in newspapers about people being killed in cash-in-transit heist robberies. But it hits differently when the headline is about one of our own. It is heart-wrenching and we hope and pray for justice.”
During his funeral service at the Andra Hall, in Marburg, Caylin’s staff, friends, family and the Port Shepstone car community paid tribute to him with a motorcade, which included his trucks. His casket was designed to resemble his BMW.
One of his driver’s, Thokozane ‘Makoya’ Mgilane, described Caylin as a “cool guy”.
His friends who became family – Sashan Pillay, Ethan Rangasamy and Kavi Pillay – said he was a “light to all of us”.
“He would go out of his way to help people, whether it was by giving them a lift or buying them food. He could make anyone smile with his kindness and warmth,” they said.
Sashan Pillay, the only other person who was allowed to drive Naidoo’s 325i, other than his father, said he was going to miss the bond they shared.
“Both our families grew up together. I first interacted with Caylin during a car show at St Michaels Beach many years ago. It was then a friendship for life. We attended car shows together and our bond just grew. He did not trust anyone to drive his car. It was his pride and joy. He was meticulous about his car, keeping it in pristine condition,” Pillay said.
A police source, close to the cash-in-transit (CIT) investigations in the province, said these robberies were spiralling across the country.
“There are CIT robberies taking place every week. There are multiple syndicates operating in the country. The modus is to follow the vehicles from where they pick up the money, then bomb it and loot it.”