East cops warn of new crime modus operandi

Police in the east of Pretoria have warned community members of a new criminal modus operandi targeted at households.

The scheme involves criminals opening taps and thus luring owners of the house to come out to see what is wrong.

“It was discovered with great concern that criminals are now opening taps and letting the water run unattended with the intention of finding out if there is somebody home to rob them,” Cullinan police spokesperson Constable Connie Moganedi said.

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In one of the incidents which were reported, she said criminals opened the tap and let the water run so the person inside the house could come out so they could rob them of their valuables and property.

“Cullinan SAPS urge the community to be vigilant when they experience such incidents and prompt the neighbourhood watch or call the police,” Moganedi said.

She also said residents in the Lewezene estate, in Cullinan, had also experienced a spike in crime.

“Residents are urged to be vigilant and should not leave boxes of valuable goods they purchased lying outside as they attract criminals,” Moganedi said, adding they should always keep the serial numbers of their goods safe in the event that they needed to report them stolen.

She further advised the residents to put the boxes away in a safe place.

Some of the safety precautions Moganedi offered were:

– Ensuring all doors were locked at all times and that windows were closed when they were not at home

– Inform neighbours when they were not at home so they could keep watch and attend to any form of criminal activity

– Ensure tools such as axes, spades, picks, ladders, etc, which could be used in an attack, were locked away when not in use

Moganedi said residents should not come out of their homes if they hear the tap running if they are unsure of the security status of their homes.

“Contact your neighbour or local neighbourhood watch to assist you in checking the surroundings,” she said.

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