Thugs target tipplers in city
There are groups of women in the city centre who drug men and steal their valuable property, including vehicles, electric appliances and furniture.
The crime of women stealing men’s valuables after drugging them is still commonplace in the city, central police said on Tuesday.
At least three groups of women were targeting men drinking in pubs and taverns, said central police spokesperson Sergeant Ann Poortman.
The modus operandi was for one woman or a few women to take a man to his apartment – in most cases to sleep over – after having some drinks. The culprits carried with them a drug used to spike a man’s drink for him to pass-out later.
“The drug causes victims to pass-out for a long time, giving these women ample time to steal valuables,” Poortman said.
Belongings taken included vehicles, electric appliances and furniture.
In a recent crime, a 32-year-old man had his car stolen after taking two women to his flat last Friday.
Police said the man woke up the following day sleeping alone in the flat. “The women had gone and so were his car, laptop and cellphone,” Poortman said.
Catching the culprits was difficult as they targeted men who were already drunk.
“Once the women noticed that a man is drunk, they join him at the table. The women attract the man, pretending to be a prospective lover.”
When Rekord reported on the matter last May, Tebogo Modiba, owner of the House 22 pub in Sunnyside, said this type of crime happened all over Pretoria.
“Two of my friends’ valuables were stolen in separate incidents after they met girls in pubs in Brooklyn.”
He said the victims were mostly single men who lived alone.
Police urged men to stay away from women they did not know in pubs and taverns.
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