Ivory Park SAPS have arrested a 32-year-old man from Primrose near Germiston for the alleged rape of a woman he met on an online dating site.
The arrest occurred on April 1.
According to Ivory Park SAPS communications officer, Captain Bernard Matimulane, the 35-year-old victim and the suspect are alleged to have met online, continued to communicate until they eventually met on April 1 in Phomolong.
“They then proceeded to an isolated space in Ebony Park, near Midrand, where the victim alleged that the suspect turned on her when he threatened her with a scissor. After she was allegedly raped, the victim’s phone was also forcefully taken by the suspect. The suspect is alleged to have dropped the victim at a club not far from the crime scene and left,” said Matimulane.
The suspect is expected to appear in the Tembisa Magistrate’s Court to answer to a charge of rape and robbery of a cellphone
“As much as we commit to investigating any case that is reported to us, we call on people using online dating sites as they are replete with dodgy and dangerous characters,” warns Brigadier David Mbongeni Ngcobo, the station commander of the Ivory Park SAPS.
“People wanting to meet their online “friends” are urged to be careful. Do not meet strangers alone and in isolated spaces. It is advisable to have someone such as family member or friend to accompany you to the meeting place. Even though they are not part of the meeting it is better for the chaperone to watch the proceeding from a distance. Do not get into a vehicle with a stranger and always let your loved ones know that you are going to meet someone you met online,” said Ngcobo.
