It’s February, the month of love, and while many of us are out there swiping right and left, a Durban pensioner learnt the hard way that not everyone on dating apps is looking for love.

A man was arrested yesterday after allegedly robbing a 66-year-old woman he met for their first date in Durban.

According to an article published by The Witness, the 54-year-old Chatsworth, KZN, resident was tracked down by Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) and is in police custody.

Prem Balram, spokesperson for Rusa, says Rusa members were called out to a service station in the north of Durban to assist a stranded woman.

He says the woman informed the officers that she met a man on Badoo, a dating site, and after three months of chatting, they decided to take their conversation offline and meet in person. But little did she know, her date had other plans.

Balram says the man identified himself as a mechanic named Salim who owns a mechanical workshop in Pinetown.

“During their conversation on Tuesday, the woman informed the man that she needed to withdraw the Sassa Old Age Grant for her and her 84-year-old mother. The man offered to transport her to an ATM before they went on their first date,” he says.

Balram says the man picked her up near her home in the south of Durban, driving a white Opel Corsa. They went to Galleria Mall in Amazamtoti, where the woman withdrew both grants.

Once they were done, the man suggested that they go to Hazelmere Dam to relax. The dam is approximately 61km from the mall. They spent three hours there.

“They then decided to purchase a meal and travelled to a service station. The victim informed the driver that she needed to utilise the ablution facility and freshen up before having her meal. The driver stopped the vehicle in the forecourt.”

Balram says the man told the woman that he would park the vehicle, but drove off once the pensioner got out of the vehicle and walked towards the toilets.

“Her handbag containing R2 000 cash, her mother’s ID, ATM cards and cellphone were in the car. The handbag was later recovered near a casino,” he says.

Balram says they recovered CCTV footage of the vehicle from the service station.

“The suspect is believed to have scammed several other women seeking companionship.”