Man followed from bank, robbed of huge sum of money
Boksburg Police have warned bank customers against carrying large amounts of cash, as they are at risk of being robbed of their hard-earned money.
The warning comes after a local businessman recently had a five figure sum stolen from him, after he had withdrawn it from a bank in Sunward Park.
The man fell victim to robbers while he was at Kingfisher Square.
After withdrawing the cash, he went to the nearby KFC outlet and, few minutes later, two men entered the outlet, produced firearms and demanded money from the targeted man, who was seated in the outlet with a friend.
A brief struggle ensued, but the thugs managed to grab the bag containing the money, and fled the scene in a white 2016 BMW 3-series.
The investigating officer, Det Sgt Calvin Mphaphuli, said that, fortunately, nobody was hurt during this callous act.
He said that officers believe the suspects had followed the victim from the bank where he withdrew the money.
There was a series of similar incidents last year too, which occurred in different parts of Boksburg and are still being investigated by the Boksburg police.
Therefore people withdrawing cash either from a bank or ATM, are being warned to stay on their guard and be extra vigilant – due to criminals targeting them for their cash.
Bank clients are urged to use alternative methods of banking, such as electronic banking, when banking large sums of cash.
If you have any suspicions about people hanging about, or about the ATM itself, then contact the police and the bank immediately.
According to Mphaphuli, a common method for criminals is known as “Spotting”, and this is where bank clients are followed after withdrawing large amounts of cash from the bank and robbed.
Another common method is when the perpetrators drop a pile of fake bank notes to attract the attention of a person who just withdrew a large sum from a bank.
When the targeted person picks up the cash, a co-perpetrator immediately also claims it and suggests they go to a secluded spot to share it. The client is then robbed of his/her withdrawal.
Here are some important steps you should follow to protect your hard-earned money from predators:
When leaving the bank be aware of strangers that may be following you.
If you see a pile of what appears to be cash on the ground, ignore it. It’s a sign that you are being targeted and rather call the police. -@FanieFLK
ALSO READ:
Witfield robbery victim was followed from town
Woman robbed in driveway, struck over the head with pistol
