Gauteng police and the Community Policing Forums have expressed concern about the number of false reports of human trafficking and kidnapping.
This, after a video of a man went viral where he claimed that a human trafficking incident took place at a Midrand shopping centre on 22 September.
In the video, the man claimed that an elderly woman was abducted by armed men in the basement parking lot inside the shopping mall.
The man further claimed that children who were with the woman were left behind.
Gauteng police spokesperson Brigadier Mathapelo Peters confirmed that Midrand Police Station did respond to an incident, however, it was not a kidnapping. Peters explained that the woman was allegedly robbed of an undisclosed amount of cash at gunpoint.
“Preliminary investigations suggest that two unknown suspects travelling in an SUV may have followed the woman from a bank where she had reportedly withdrawn a large amount of money.
“The suspects are said to have accosted the victim in the basement parking at the shopping center and demanded money from her at gunpoint,” Peters said.
“The suspects made off with the victim’s handbag and other valuables. Both the woman and a six-year-old child who was with her, were uninjured but are safe,” she added.
Gauteng Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela further reprimanded the public, stating that no good can come from the spreading of fake news. “The anonymity that often surrounds the identity of the creators or sources of fake news, confirms that the intention can only be hostile, seeking to unsettle community-police relations that the SAPS is working so hard to build and restore,” explained Mawela.
Dr Mikail Reza Patel of the Gauteng Province Community Police Board also expressed disappointment at the recent rise of reports on social media and public forums of an alleged rise in instances of kidnapping and human trafficking of minors. “The unverified spread of news and reports of these instances only serve to waste resources and cause unnecessary fear and panic in the minds of law-abiding citizens. In some instances, the fake news has led to unlawful mob mentality and even xenophobic behaviour.
“We urge those who have been victim or witness to any form of attempted kidnapping of their minor children or abduction of children to please come forward and report these instances at the nearest police station.
“The serious battle against these concerning criminal incidents starts with correctly reporting and recording the incident so as to allow the authorities mandated to investigate these crimes to react to and investigate these incidents.”
Peters added that police in Gauteng will continue to give priority attention to genuine cases of human trafficking, kidnappings, as well as crimes committed against women, children, and other vulnerable persons.
Details: Members of the public are encouraged to report crime and/or suspicious activities by contacting their nearest police station or calling the South African Police Service Crime Stop number 08600 10111. Information may also be conveyed to the police on the MySAPS App that can be downloaded on any smartphone.
