Police have continuously warned hitchhikers as well as motorists who offer lifts to strangers to resist such acts.

Armed robberies are rising sharply as a result of hitchhiking because criminal syndicates use mobile banking to rob victims, by either forcing them to request loans from their banks or demanding money transfers whilst held at gunpoint.

This comes after a male victim was allegedly robbed of his belongings, forced, and threatened to give his bank pin and card to suspects.

According to the police report, the victim was offered a lift from Pretoria to Komatipoort by an unknown driver of a Volkswagen Polo.

It is alleged that there were three occupants inside the vehicle.

It is believed that the driver of the vehicle suddenly stopped the vehicle near the Kusile off-ramp.

“One of the men took out a firearm and pointed it at the victim, instructing him to take out everything that he had in his possession,” Captain Elizabeth Hlathi said.

Hlathi went on to say that the victim was supposedly robbed of his cellphone, “The suspects further demanded the victim’s pin code, and left him stranded on the side of the road.”

On Friday, October 27 at around 03:00 suspects allegedly withdrew an amount of money using the victim’s card at KG Mall in Vosman.

Hlathi would like to urge the public to use the public transport available at the local taxi ranks and bus stops, “Commuters must avoid hitchhiking because their safety is not guaranteed in asking for lifts from people who are not registered with the taxi or bus industries,” Hlathi ended.

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