Criminals strike in CBD store

Every trip to the CBD is a return to a nightmare for Lynette Kok.

The ailing mother said since devious criminals stole cash, documents and a cellphone from her handbag, she cannot shake off the fear for her own welfare.

What she finds most worrying, is that the criminals struck at a clothing shop at the Village Walk centre.

“I went in to look at dresses. While I was there, a woman threw a dress over my head.”

Angrily asking the visibly nervous woman ‘Wat maak jy?’, Mrs Kok resumed her shopping and did not suspect anything out of the ordinary, not even when the same person bumped her against a rack of dresses.

Instead, she turned to a well-dressed man to help her reach an outfit on one of the higher racks.

“I told him he was a gentleman and walked toward the changing rooms, which is when I felt a slight tugging at my bag.”

As she neared the changing rooms, a shop assistant told Mrs Kok a pen was sticking out of her bag.

“I felt for the pen and my hand went right into the slit in the handbag. They left my old phone and took R1 500 in cash, my ID book and my new phone.”

Having suffered two strokes and seizures previously, Mrs Kok said the shock of the situation almost caused her to have another fit, and she prayed desperately for the feeling to abate.

After she had recovered, Mrs Kok spoke earnestly to the store manageress.

Staff revealed there were no male employees working at the store, nor were there CCTV cameras installed, although Mrs Kok was given a shopping voucher and offered condolences.

“I was going to use the money for the house, but I am more upset at losing my phone and all the contact numbers.”

Mrs Kok explained she was also devastated at the destruction of her beloved bag, brought back from the United Kingdom as a gift from her mother.

She now carries her new handbag against her chest, petrified of being a crime target again.

“I have since recovered my ID book; if my story can help others, why not?”