Victim hangs onto bonnet to stop robbers
A community member was so determined not to let robbers get away with his hard-earned money that he hung onto their getaway vehicle's bonnet.
MALALANE – MBM and local SAPS urges community members to be extra vigilant near ATMs, especially during the evenings and on weekends, following two robbery incidents this past weekend.
According to Mr Rory Greene from MBM Security Services, one of their reaction officers spotted a man on the bonnet of a blue Toyota Corolla, while at Engen on Sunday around midday. The driver was moving erratically, presumably to fling the man off.
The driver turned west onto the N4 and the officer gave chase, trying to get him to pull over. Just outside town, the driver turned onto a farm road and after a few kilometres, the man fell off and the Corolla sped up and headed back into town. The reaction officer followed suit, but lost sight of the vehicle in town. He located it again, but the occupants had abandoned it. The local taxi authority and SAPS were also involved in the chase.
The security officer went to find the victim, who explained that the suspects had robbed him of R7 000. He had reportedly struggled with them and managed to recover some of his money.
When they attempted to flee, he jumped onto the bonnet of the vehicle to stop them and to get the rest of the money.
The vehicle was impounded by local police officers. It was found that the Corolla had been hired at a car hire company in Mbombela.
During another incident, a woman had to fight off a suspect who tried to steal her bank card at an ATM in the CBD.
Last Thursday around 17:30 she was approached at a bank by a man who insisted that he help her. He pushed her in order to get to her card, but the woman managed to grab her card again in the ensuing struggle and told the man to move away.
No arrests have been made yet.
Community members should take note of any strange people hanging around ATMs and report it to a nearby security guard or local police. If you do not feel comfortable, do not use the ATM.
Avoid walking around with large amounts of cash and do not leave it in your vehicle. According to Green, criminals have been following people to the bank and either jamming the doors or breaking into the vehicle to obtain the cash.
People are urged to rather phone their security company for an escort if they have to deposit or withdraw a large amount of cash.
Green says they have observed an increase in criminal activities in town over the weekends and urges community members to be extra careful.
