West police warn of ‘suspicious’ car used in robberies
A child being robbed is not "petty theft” but a child being robbed on gunpoint, is a traumatising and cruel offence.
Residents in Hercules, west of Pretoria, should be on the lookout for a “suspicious” silver/grey or white Volkswagen Polo, police have warned.
“The occupants of this vehicle are targeting residents in the area,” said Hercules police station Captain Bonginkosi Msimango.
“So far we only received complaints [about residents being mugged by the car’s occupants] and no arrests have been made,” he said.
According to Hercules CPF vice chairperson Ricky Louw, teenagers were being targeted the most and the perpetrators were often heavily armed.
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“A child being robbed at gunpoint is not just ‘petty theft’ – it is traumatising and cruel,” said Louw.
“We as a community are struggling to catch those responsible.
“Not only do these people target youngsters, but they are also involved in other crimes as well.”
She warned Hercules residents not to walk alone at night.
“Tshwane Wi-Fi hotspots, tuckshops, quiet streets and school routes are all popular for such robberies.”
Louw said people walking with cellphones in hand and not paying attention to their surroundings were also easy targets.
“We urge our community to please report any and all of such incidents to the police immediately. For an arrest to be made, a case number is needed.”
Hercules CPF chairperson Johan van Staden told Rekord that these criminals were heavily armed.
“They use unlicensed firearms and target people that either walk alone in quiet streets or sit at Wi-Fi hotspots,” said Van Staden.
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Van Staden said they sometimes used a different vehicle in approaching people and stealing valuables such as cellphones and jewellery.
“We had a few incidents in which residents in parts of Pretoria West were approached by the suspicious VW Polo and suspects would threaten them with firearms and steal their belongings.”
In an unrelated incident, three people were arrested in Atteridgeville for the possession of illegal firearms and ammunition.
“Police and metro police officers were on routine patrol in Pretoria West when a community member contacted them about a suspicious-looking vehicle,” said Pretoria West police station spokesperson Constable Sibongile Vuma.
“The vehicle was allegedly used to commit crimes such as house robberies and business robberies, particularly targeting shops. The vehicle was spotted by the metro police patrolling Von Hagen and Rebecca streets.”
Vuma said the police stopped and searched the vehicle and found “a loaded firearm wrapped in an orange cloth”.
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