A couple fell victim to armed robbery after responding to an online ad. Image: Pixabay
Couple falls prey to ROBBERY after responding to an online ad
Police are warning the public to remain vigilant when responding to adverts online after a couple fell victim to armed robbery
A couple fell victim to armed robbery after responding to an online ad. Image: Pixabay
The Gauteng Organized Crime Investigation Team, with assistance from the Highway Patrol and K9 Unit, arrested three men for armed robbery on Monday, 19 December 2022.
This comes after a couple reported their experience of being stolen after responding to an internet ad for CDs.
Couple robbed after responding to online ad
According to reports, the pair responded to a social media advertisement selling CDs. A meeting was arranged for the pair with the CD seller in Winterveld.
The pair arrived at the site and were greeted by a man who led them to another location.
There they were robbed of an undisclosed sum of money, their phones, and their bank cards.
The Provincial Organized Crime Investigations received the file from SAPS Loate.
The team carried out a sting operation, which resulted in the arrests.
The accused will be charged with armed robbery when they appear before Ga-Rankuwa Magistrates Court.
More suspects arrested in a similar incident
This is the second arrest in as many months of similar nature.
Two suspects were apprehended by the police in November 2022 after they robbed an unwary customer. The purchaser had reacted to a car advertisement online.
Provincial Commissioner of police for Gauteng, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela, has praised the officers for acting quickly to apprehend the offenders.
“The more arrests we make the harder we hit this grouping that commits these robberies. Online buyers must be cautious when communicating with people that place advertisements on social media, verify their credentials and insist on meeting the sellers in areas where they would not try to rob you,”Mawela said.
The Winterveldt and Hammanskraal districts are two places in Gauteng where these online frauds are particularly common.
Police are urging anyone who might have fallen victim to these scammers to come forward and report these crimes to the police.
They are also appealing to anyone with information that can assist the police in the investigation to please call Colonel Freddie Mogotsi at 082 416 0659 or Sergeant Mary Makola at 082 930 1024.
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