Fake cops ‘attack’ gardener, threaten to rape elderly woman

Alpha Security spokesperson Dwayne Hansen said the woman, believed to be in her 80s, was in the house last Tuesday preparing food for the gardener when she looked outside and saw people beating him, Kempton Express reported.

“Three of the suspects made their way into the house by forcing the door open, while two of their accomplices were outside with the gardener. The suspects then tied the woman and the gardener up. They then allegedly hit the gardener when they demanded something,” added Hansen.

It is alleged the suspects then threatened to rape the woman if she did not give the suspects keys to the safe, which she explained were not in the house, as her husband had them. “Her husband, who was on his way home at the time, was then called on his cellphone by the suspects and threatened if he did not provide the keys, his wife would be hurt,” Hansen said. It is believed the husband immediately phoned security and police and alerted them about the incident. A member of Edleen CPF reportedly posted a message on the CPF’s Whatsapp group, which was picked up by Alpha Security, who responded to the incident and called ER24 for medical backup.

“Unfortunately, at the time the police and security officers arrived at the scene, the suspects had already fled with the couple’s son’s bakkie. They loaded goods such as TVs, cell phones and wallets,” added Hansen. The gardener was treated at the scene, and the woman received trauma counselling organised by Alpha Security, he said. A case of armed robbery was opened at the Norkem Park Police Station.

Last month, a group of suspects dressed as police officers allegedly tried to gain entry into a family’s home in Shakaskraal, near Ballito, in KwaZulu-Natal. Business owner Mohammed Dawood said five men dressed in police uniform told him they were from the Durban Organised Crime Unit and that an employee of his was suspected of a crime and was in the car with them. The “police” told Dawood he needed to open the gate for them to search his property. “When my son, Aslam, went into the house, the bogus police climbed into the bakkie and sped off,” added Dawood.

– Caxton News Service