DURBAN North SAPS has warned restaurant owners and service station owners to be aware of a new trend of criminals targeting speed point machines in the uMhlanga area.

According to Capt Raymond Deokaran, spokesperson for the Durban North police station, there has been more than four cases registered at the station. He added police were still investigating what criminals were using the speed point machines for.

“We feel the theft of these machines are with fraudulent intentions but investigating officers are trying to find out how the theft benefits the thieves. We have had cases targeting restaurants and service stations where the suspects steal the machines.

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“Often the thieves use subtlety but in some cases at service stations, the suspects pretend to pay for petrol via card and drive off with the machine. In one case, a speed point machine was replaced by a non-functioning machine in uMhlanga. The restaurant only realised this a few hours later,” he said.

This is a relatively new trend warned Deokaran.

“We’ve noticed the trend emerge since the easing of lockdown regulations. We are still investigating how the criminals are monetizing the thefts, where it’s simply the redirecting of funds, but we cannot say just yet. We are appealing to business owners in the uMhlanga village and ridge area to be wary of this kind of theft. If your speed point machines aren’t working, we urge you to report it to the police as this could be linked to the cases we are investigating,” he said.

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Deokaran said there had also been cases registered in the upper Highway area, specifically Hillcrest.

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