Criminals hold mom, son hostage in mall

“Despite the rumours and warnings, I always felt safe at Lakeside Mall, but after what happened on May 25, I will never shop at the mall or Game again.”

These were the words of a distraught Benoni mother after she and her seven-year-old son were held against their will by a man claiming to be a Game employee.

The ordeal unfolded shortly before noon when the victim, who wished to remain anonymous, entered the store with her son.

“We went directly to the outdoor section because we were in the market to buy a gazebo,” she said.

“We were walking with a trolley, chatting and having fun. As we made our way to the soft drinks aisle, a well-spoken and professionally dressed man wearing a Game ID badge around his neck approached.

“He pointed to the gazebo and said the store had an exclusive manager’s special. He said an additional discount would apply if we accompanied him to the sales desk.

“Not suspecting anything untoward, I told him I would appreciate a discount but wanted to grab a few more items. He told me to let him know when we’re finished but remained close by.”
Upon finishing shopping, the victim said the ‘helpful’ employee promptly took the trolley her son was holding onto.

“As we made our way to the front of the store, heading towards the tills, the suspect took my son’s hand, leaving the trolley behind. He said I must follow him out of the shop without making a fuss or drawing attention,” she said.

“As we approached his accomplice, he made it clear my son’s life was in danger if I did not strictly comply with their demands. I was in absolute shock. I was terrified they would hurt my son. Stunned, I walked alongside them, answering all their questions regarding the bank I hold accounts with.”

Casual
The victim alleges the men then escorted her to Santa Rio Spur inside the mall.

Seated against the railing with her assailant sitting next to her, the victim watched in horror as the other suspect made small talk with her son and then offered to take him to the eatery’s play area.

“My body went numb, and my mind was racing. Both men were calm, acting like what was happening was casual and normal,” she said.

“I didn’t know where he was taking my son; in my head, I was screaming.”

Using shreds of paper, the suspect communicated with the victim in writing, ordering her to follow him to the local FNB branch and withdraw her daily limit.

“The second accomplice returned to the table briefly with my son so he could enjoy the ice cream ordered for him while they sipped on cocktails they’d ordered,” she said.

“Throughout the incident, I did my best to smile at my son, while drinking a glass of water I ordered.

“I did not want him to realise something was amiss. I did not know what these men were capable
of as the leader, the alleged Game employee, eluded to being armed.”

After withdrawing R5 000 from her cheque and credit cards, the helpless mother was escorted back to Spur, where she was ordered to hand over her bank cards, PINs, cellphone and its password.

Safe at last
“One at a time, the men left the table. When I realised they weren’t returning, I jumped from the table, screaming, calling my son’s name,” she said.

“Relief washed over me when he emerged from the play area, safe and unscathed. The Spur staff immediately came to help, with our waitress expressing shock upon hearing what had transpired in the 45 minutes she had served us.”

Returning to Game to report the matter, the victim says one employee claimed an incident of this nature could not occur in the store, while another said they could not believe it had happened again.

“I was beside myself, and upon my husband’s insistence, we only reported the matter to the Benoni Police Station on May 26,” she said.

“It felt like the officers on duty did not believe my recollection of the incident.”

The victim said that given her reaction following the incident, her son soon became aware that the polite ‘uncles’ they shared ice cream with were well-versed criminals.

“He is terrified and does not even want to pop into the local grocery store since this happened,” she said.

The suspects left the victim with the bill at Spur.

Spending spree
After leaving the Santa Rio Spur, the suspects made several purchases using the victim’s FNB credit and cheque cards.

• They made a R5 000 purchase at an undisclosed Woolworths store.

• A further purchase of R5 000 was made at a Farrarmere Liquor City, followed by a R3 000 purchase at Checkers Bonaero Park.

• The criminals also did an ATM transfer of R25 000 from one of the victim’s accounts to another in her name.

The shopping spree lasted less than 30 minutes and ended when both cards were reported stolen, and all transactions halted.

Mall responds
The COO for Emerge, Isabell Swanepoel, commented on behalf of Lakeside Mall, saying they are aware of the alleged incident but that it was not formally reported to mall management and, therefore, no official incident report has been filed.

“We take all reports of incidents very seriously and prioritise the safety and wellbeing of our patrons, tenants and employees,” said Swanepoel.

“Our primary concern is to ensure Lakeside Mall remains a safe and welcoming environment for everyone. We have stringent security measures in place and are continually working to enhance them to address any potential safety concerns promptly and effectively.”

She urged anyone with more information about this incident to come forward and share the details with the centre management.

“This will assist us to address and resolve the matter swiftly and appropriately. We treat all incidents with the utmost priority and seriousness,” Swanepoel said.

Investigation
Brian Leroni, senior vice president: group corporate affairs for Massmart Holdings, responded to the Benoni City Times, thanking it for bringing the incident to their attention.

“We are exceptionally concerned about the description of the incident,” said Leroni.

“We have, unfortunately, not been able to trace a customer incident report, and the store concerned does not have CCTV footage available to verify the details of the incident.”

With consent from the victim, the City Times gave Leroni her contact details to launch an investigation.

Description of the suspects
• The African man claiming to be a Game employee wore casual clothes and a lanyard with a Game employee card attached.

He is about 1.7m tall, slender and has a beauty spot beside his nose. He is well-spoken and professional.

• The accomplice is about 1.65m and fair in complexion.

He is well-spoken and fluent in Afrikaans and English.

He claimed to have three daughters.

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