A 54-YEAR-OLD man who went out on a first date with a 66-year-old woman after meeting her on a dating site is behind bars after he allegedly made off with her Sassa grant that she had withdrawn at Galleria Mall on February 5.

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The suspect was arrested by Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) officers a day later after he was traced to his home in Chatsworth.

RUSA spokesperson Prem Balram said after the two met online, the suspect, who will not be named until he appears in court, fetched the pensioner from Isipingo and they drove to Galleria Mall where she withdrew her R2 000 Sassa grant. The victim will not be named to protect her identity.

After withdrawing her grant, Balram said the couple drove 66km to Hazelmere Dam where they spent a few hours. When they were done, the suspect allegedly drove her to a garage to freshen up.

“The suspect then sped off with her bag which contained R2 000 in cash, and her mobile phone,” said Balram.

RUSA officers started looking for the man after the complainant and her family approached them and sought help. An investigation was initiated and the suspect’s car, a white Opel Corsa was identified at a house in Chatsworth by using information obtained from CCTV footage from the garage where the complainant was dropped off. The officers approached the house and the suspect was arrested in his bedroom.

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“When interviewed, the suspect informed RUSA officers that he had seen an opportunity to flee with her belongings when the woman had got out of his vehicle to freshen up. He explained that he decided to speed off when the pensioner demanded financial assistance after they had engaged in intercourse at Hazelmere Dam. He said that he was further infuriated when she questioned him regarding the use of [an aphrodisiac] tablet,” said Balram.

The suspect further revealed to RUSA officers that after fleeing, he drove to Sibaya Casino and lost R1 600 at the slot machines. The remaining R400 he said he used to buy engine oil for his car.

His mother revealed to RUSA officers that he had allegedly committed similar offences before and had spent some time at Westville Prison for it.

The suspect was handed over to the police and is in custody pending his court appearance.

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