Six deaths in “followed from the bank robberies”
Robberies which resulted in deaths were a result of customers being followed from the bank after making large withdrawals or on their way to the bank to make deposits.
Concerns have been raised regarding the increase of robberies of banking clientele.
To combat this the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC) on behalf of the banking industry will launch a campaign aimed at warning customers about this crime.
In a statement SABRIC claimed six banking customers have been killed in the last six months.
Robberies, which resulted in deaths, were a of customers being followed from the bank after making large withdrawals or on their way to the bank to make large deposits.
In the statement SABRIC said a more vigorous approach was needed in order to clip the wings of criminals.
It also said banking clients needed to be more savvy about protecting themselves in such instances.
Robberies which are banking related showed a 33 percent increase nationally over the last 12 months.
53 percent of the robberies took place in Gauteng.
The common modus operandi of banking related robberies is to designate “spotters” at banking institutions.
These spotters look out for people making large cash withdrawals inside bank branches.
Once a potential victim is identified the spotter passes on the information to co-perpetrators, who are usually in the vicinity of the bank.
The co-perpetrators in turn rob the individual, either at his place of business, home or en route to their destination.
“These criminals are ruthless in their operation and will not hesitate in taking the lives of those they want to rob. For this reason we caution the public to be aware of this and practice other methods of banking rather than carry large sums of cash,” said SABRIC chief executive officer Ms Kalyani Pillay.
“There are numerous options available such as cellular phone or internet banking or using and ATM to do banking transactions,” she added.
In addition Crime Line has appealed to the public to be vigilant.
Anyone who notices suspicious activity or suspects that they may be followed should call 10111 immediately.
Alternatively residents should drive to their nearest police station.
Information about planned robberies or crimes, should be reported to Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or SMS 32211.
