A pensioner, 62, was fortunate to have escaped the clutches of three callous kidnappers who bamboozled her with a con story at a shopping centre in Davenport, Glenwood, and dumped her in Merebank after robbing her of cash and attempting to strangle her with a scarf, on Tuesday.
Police spokesperson, Colonel Thembeka Mbele, said: “On 26 October, between 12pm and 2.15pm, the complainant alleged that she was shopping in a mall along Helen Joseph Road in Glenwood when she was approached by what seemed to be a pregnant woman and her friend. The suspects held a sharp object to her side and instructed her to exit the mall with them and enter into a black motor vehicle which had two other accomplices in the vehicle.
“They proceeded to drive away from the mall when one of the suspects strangled her and demanded her ATM pin number from her, in fear for her life the complainant gave them the PIN. They stopped at a nearby garage to withdraw an undisclosed amount of money from the card and proceeded to a shop where they purchased items. The suspects stopped in Merebank and instructed the 62-year-old female victim to exit the vehicle where nearby residents assisted her to get to the police station. The motive for the attack is unknown and a case of kidnapping and robbery has been opened at Umbilo SAPS.”
Speaking to the Glenwood Weekly Gazette, PT Alarms spokesperson, Dhevan Govindasamy, said the PT Alarms Tactical Tracker Unit immediately responded to Howrah Road in Merebank after receiving a report of a woman who was abandoned. “The victim alleged that she was shopping with a friend at a centre in Davenport when the suspects struck. According to the victim, her friend was in the bank and she (victim) went to another shop. The victim alleged she was befriended by two women. In a sudden rush, she found herself being shoved into a vehicle in the back seat. The two females had the victim hemmed in and then started choking her with a scarf around her neck. The assailants demanded the victim’s PIN and took her to different places where withdrawals were made and purchases done,” Govindasamy said.
“The suspects dumped the woman on Howrah Road and drove off. A search was conducted by PT Tactical Tracker Unit but to no avail. The victim was highly traumatised,” Govindasamy added.
A similar incident was posted on Facebook by a Durban resident who said an elderly woman known to her, cited as being in her 80s, suffered a similar fate when she was shopping at a centre in Windermere. The post alleged that the aged victim was approached by two females who spun a con story about fraudulent activity regarding her banking transactions. It was reported that the elderly woman was bundled into a car, severely assaulted, and out of fear for her life, she revealed her PIN. Further information shared revealed that the elderly victim was dumped in Umlazi where she sought help from nearby residents and was assisted to the police station. The victim was left traumatised as well.
Information in the social media post intimated that there is a syndicate operating in the vicinity of malls in certain areas that are preying on soft targets.
“Members of the public are urged to be wary of suspicious persons in shopping malls etc. Be alert and refrain from making chitchat with unknown persons in such places for your own safety. These criminals appear to target unsuspecting and vulnerable individuals,” added Govindasamy
