A woman from The Bluff had a harrowing start to the festive season when she was kidnapped, held at gunpoint and robbed of R102 000 by suspects pretending to be police officers outside a shopping centre on The Bluff on December 5.

Also read: Woman assaulted and robbed, left at Cuttings Beach

Friendly conversations

According to reports from Brighton Beach police station, the incident occurred at around 11:00 on Grays Inn Road near a busy shopping centre on The Bluff. The complainant had just parked her car and was walking towards the entrance when she was approached by a young woman who began a friendly conversation, complimenting the complainant’s hair. A few minutes later, a young man joined them.

Shortly thereafter, a car pulled up alongside them and two men posing as police officers approached the group. The two individuals who had been talking to the complainant were accused of being caught stealing by the mall’s security cameras. The complainant protested that she did not know the two people, but the fake police officers had already produced their firearms aiming at the victim and coercing her to get in the car.

Harrowing experience

The two fake police officers took the complainant’s cellphone and handbag containing all her bank cards. The two suspects allegedly drove her towards Umlazi, threatening to kill her if she did not co-operate. The fake officers accessed her banking app, forcing her to reveal her pin and made numerous transfers from her account.

The fake officers drove around Umlazi, making stops at various ATMs to withdraw more money.

They dropped the traumatised woman in Mobeni at around 16:00 and gave her R50 for a taxi back home. It was only after she had reached home that she found out that a total of R102 000 was drained from her bank account.

A case of kidnapping and armed robbery has been opened and is under investigation by Brighton Beach police station.

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