Inspector Joey Jeevan said police officers were doing routine patrols in the Mpophomeni area when they noticed a vehicle parked on the side of the road occupied by four men, who were asleep in the vehicle.

"Upon circulating the vehicle, it was established that it was stolen from the Hilton area on Wednesday."

Jeevan said a woman and her two-year-old son were attacked at their home in Hilton on Wednesday when they walked in on three men ransacking their home.

"One of the men produced a handgun and demanded the keys to her vehicle. The suspects thereafter forced her with her son into the bathroom, where they tied her hands and feet with electrical cable and locked the door behind them."

"The suspects thereafter fled from the scene in the woman's car, taking with them two digital cameras, a Panasonic DVD player, computer speakers, a hiking bag and a pair of boots," she said.

Jeevan added that the woman managed to free herself and contacted the police.

"At this stage police believe that the suspects may be involved in several other robberies that have occurred in the Hilton area."

The men are expected to appear in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate's Court soon.