A 74-year-old man was kidnapped, assaulted and robbed by four men after leaving a bank in Ermelo this afternoon.

The Highvelder met ACSU reaction officer Gerhard Bothma at the bank, where the elderly man was busy stopping his bank cards after the incident.

According to Bothma, the men approached the 74-year-old after he had conducted business at the bank. They struck up a conversation with him before offering him a lift.

About 1 km along Morgenzon Road, the men assaulted the victim, tied him up and left him behind reeds in a field beside the road.

They stole his bank card, other cards and cellphone before fleeing the scene.

Two people travelling in a vehicle stopped in the area and then heard a man shouting for help.

They spotted Bothma’s reaction vehicle and flagged him down as he was on his way to drop someone off.

They told him about the someone in distress, prompting him to investigate.

Bothma found the victim behind the reeds and untied him before taking him back to the bank, where the man stopped his cards to prevent unauthorised withdrawals.

The reaction officer subsequently accompanied the elderly man to the police station to open a case.

Fortunately, no money had been withdrawn from the man’s account by the time he managed to stop his bank cards.

According to Bothma, the victim could only recall that four men had allegedly assaulted and tied him up before stealing his belongings. He also remembered that they were travelling in a white vehicle.