Akasia police slam grey Corsa Lite robber rumours as ‘fake news’
“The motor vehicle has since been tracked down to the owner who works around the Rosslyn area and is not linked to any case number.”
Akasia police have warned that rumours circulating on social media about two men in a grey Corsa Lite driving around kidnapping and robbing people, mainly targeting young children, are false.
They also warned that residents who spread unfounded rumours on social media could face criminal charges.
“They face charges of defamation of character that is punishable by law,” said police spokesperson Lindiwe Mabaso.
This comes after police were made aware of “false, malicious and unfounded rumours circulating on social media platforms that have fomented fear and could incite violence”.
The original post read:
“This car has two men and (sic) doing armed robbery around Pretoria North area, Wonderpark mall, Soshanguve, Ga-Rankuwa, Atteridgeville, Mamelodi and surrounding areas. They target school children.”
Mabaso said that police can confirm that there are no incidents of this nature that have been brought to their attention.
“The motor vehicle has since been tracked down to the owner who works around the Rosslyn area and is not linked to any case number.”
She said that the owner told the police that he fears for his life since these false accusations emerged.
The community is advised to refrain from engaging in conduct of this nature that could be detrimental to the owner of the vehicle or tarnish his image.
Anyone that has information on this matter is requested to urgently contact the Akasia police at 012 564 0700 or Crime Stop at 08600 10 111.
Victims of crime are also encouraged to report the incidents at the police station and not on social media platforms.
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