The Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court will rule next Friday on the bail application of three Imbali men accused of using the dating app Grindr to lure victims to an abandoned Scottsville house, where men were robbed at gunpoint and forced to transfer money from their bank accounts.

The Witness reports that Siyabonga Mpanza, Phumlani Zimu and Siphesihle Thabethe face charges of kidnapping, robbery, illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of stolen property and housebreaking.

Their alleged modus operandi was to lure unsuspecting victims to the abandoned house through gay dating app Grindr before assaulting them at gunpoint and forcing them to empty their bank accounts.

Arrests and court appearances

The Witness initially reported on the matter in December last year, when Mpanza and Zimu had been arrested.

The pair made their first court appearance on Christmas Eve and, shortly after, Thabethe was apprehended and has since joined them in the dock.

A number of cases have been opened at various police stations, including Mountain Rise, Pietermaritzburg Central and Alexandra Road police stations.

Evidence presented in court

It emerged in court that the trio were positively identified by a complainant, and all the victims, who are men, described the same modus operandi.

The court heard that the victims would communicate with an individual via the dating app and later be invited to an address in Scottsville.

Upon arrival, they were confronted, allegedly by the suspects, and held in a room. There they were assaulted at gunpoint and instructed to transfer large sums of money from their mobile banking apps, either through eWallet transactions or direct transfers into bank accounts.

In some instances, the funds were sent to cellphone numbers and withdrawn from ATMs.

Police caught the suspects through information shared by a victim. He provided banking records reflecting the time and location of an ATM withdrawal at Scottsville Mall.

Police obtained CCTV footage which identified the suspects and their vehicle, a VW Polo.

The vehicle was flagged in the Scottsville area and was eventually stopped on Oribi Road, with two suspects inside carrying a firearm and live rounds of ammunition.

When police searched the abandoned house where the robberies occurred, they found different car keys, several vehicle ignitions, a vehicle computer box, an alarm modem and gate remote controls.

Police believe there may be more victims.

The matter will resume next Friday before Magistrate Sandile Ngwenya.

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