POLICE CAUTION THE PUBLIC TO DESIST FROM WITHDRAWING LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY
POLOKWANE: As the preparations for the festive season celebrations have begun in earnest, criminals are also ready to pounce on unsuspecting people and rob them their hard earned cash. Community members, especially business owners including Stockvels and Social Club beneficiaries, are cautioned to desist from withdrawing and sharing large amounts of cash during the upcoming festive season.
This caution follows after a 45 year-old victim was allegedly robbed of over R200 000.00 cash carried in a bag on Tuesday 22 November 2022. The victim had apparently withdrawn large amount of money (R260 000.00) from one of the banks at the Mall of The North outside Polokwane at 10h15.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the victim was unaware that he was being followed by the three unknown suspects from the Mall and when he drove to his residence at Thornhill Estate.
Upon arrival at a Security Gate, he was confronted by two unknown male suspects who alighted from a white Toyota Corolla vehicle
while pointing a firearm at him. Their accomplice remained inside the motor vehicle while the two robbed the victim of a bag containing the money and a wrist watch.
Following the incident, the suspects managed to flee the scene driving the said motor vehicle and the victim gave and followed them until Die Meer Street towards Ladanna. The suspects allegedly fired some shots in the direction of the victim’s motor vehicle The victim retreated without injuries to report the incident at the local police.
The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has cautioned communities at large to avoid carrying large sums of money in their possession as this is often not necessary.
“I would like to encourage everyone to utilize the electronic transactions to avert being victims of these kind of incidents. Criminals are ready to benefit from the hard earned money from unsuspecting individuals or social groups who by all means will become victims for physically risking their lives rather than applying these safety measures” said the LImpopo Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe
Police encourage anyone who can provide information on the suspects shown on video footage below, to contact the Investigating Officer Sergeant Maphuta James Ngoepe on 0826859507 or crime stop number 08600100 or nearest police or My SAPSApp.
Police investigations are continuing.
