A 40-year-old Verulam woman accused of terrorising elderly residents, by drugging and robbing them, is expected to reappear at the Verulam Magistrate’s Court this week following her first appearance on Wednesday, 27 March, when she was remanded in custody.
The accused will be applying for bail when she next appears in court. Constable Bongiwe Ngcobo, Verulam SAPS spokesperson, said the accused was arrested on Monday, 25 March, and that her accomplice remains at large.
The 40-year-old was arrested after she and her accomplice allegedly drugged and robbed a 67 year old woman and her 73 year old husband. “On the day of the incident, it is alleged that two women approached a 67 year old pensioner after she left the Verulam Market. The smooth talking scammers befriended the victim and convinced her to allow them to accompany her to her home. Upon arrival at the victim’s home, where the victim’s 73 year old husband was also present, one of the scammers allegedly told the pensioner that they had blessed ashes that would cure any ailment that they could be suffering from. They boiled water and added the ashes, giving the concoction to the elderly couple to drink, who allegedly lost consciousness shortly after. The family of the victims discovered them in an unresponsive state several hours later during a wellness check. The 73 year old man was found in the yard with bruising sustained on several parts of his body. Cash, clothing and jeweller were taken from the house,” said Cst Ngcobo.
According to members of Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA), the accused is also linked to an incident at a pensioner cottage on Plein Street in Tongaat on Tuesday, 19 March as well as the one that occurred on Moss Street in Verulam.
Prem Balram, head of RUSA, said: “During the interview with reaction officers, the suspect confirmed that she and an accomplice robbed several pensioners in the eThekwini region. She alleged that the second suspect was employed at a call center and obtained contact details and identification from their database. In some cases, they would make contact with their elderly victims over the telephone and convince them to meet. She said that sleeping tablets were added to the ashes used on the victims. She was allegedly expected to meet her accomplice in Tongaat to search for their next victim after her meeting with the local councillor.
The incident caused a stir on social media with many commenting on the incident. On Facebook, Saloshni Moodley said “I hope these demons are dealt with for preying on innocent elders.” Sagren Govender echoed her sentiment saying: “I hope that they are convicted and handed down long sentences in due course. Society cannot tolerate such behaviour.”
Cts Ngcobo said: “The suspect was remanded back into custody, for seven days, she appeared at the Verulam Magistrates Court on Wednesday, 27 March. She will continue to be detained at the Verulam SAPS while investigations continue. The second suspect has not yet been apprehended and is still at large.”
