Woman tied up and robbed in the middle of the night.
Linden police are investigating an incident which recently took place where a woman’s residence was broken into and she was robbed by two suspects. According to the station’s spokesperson, Sergeant Takalani Sibiya, the complainant alleged that she was sleeping in her bedroom with all doors locked and windows closed except for her bedroom door.
“ She woke up from the noise of her bedroom door opening and when she looked at the door, she saw two males entering her bedroom. The suspects switched on the bedroom light and the victim saw both of them were carrying firearms and pointed them at her.”
She was instructed not to scream and told they would shoot her if she did, they then tied her hands with a gown belt.
The suspects took her cellphone, laptop and a notebook and asked her for her cellphone password. Sibiya added, “They gave the complainant a pen and a notebook to write down passwords and she did. They then tried and used it on her cellphone and it worked. They asked the complainant if she and her flat mate had cars and the complainant told them they did not.”
They then demanded the house keys and covered her with a sheet. A few minutes later the complainant realised the suspects had left and screamed for help.
While police investigate the matter they shared some safety tips to mitigate the risk of being a house robbery victim:
- Always change the pass codes on the electronic lock and garage doors from time to time
- Trim the trees, shrubs and bushes around your house to eliminate hiding spots
- Ensure that all the doors and windows are closed and locked properly
- Large dogs serve as a deterrent, at least have one dog trained to sleep inside the house
- Ensure that tools like axes, spades and picks that can be used in an attack, are locked away
- Always report suspicious movement or behaviour to the police
- Do not employ casual workers without references
- Do not allow strangers that come and ask for jobs inside your house without proper identification
- Always change locks if your keys go missing or are stolen.
