THE system of keeping an eye on your neighbours and adopting the so-called ‘buddy system’, often advocated by safety experts, proved to work very well last week in Malvern when a woman saved her neighbour after her suspicions were piqued.
“An alert woman saw a car with a man sitting in it parked outside her neighbour’s driveway as she drove past her neighbour’s house,” said W/O Radhika
Marimuthu, spokesperson for Malvern SAPS, who often advises people they need to be ‘buddies’ to their fellow community members to combat criminal activity.
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“Adopting the buddy system paid off this Friday,” she related in a statement to the Queensburgh News on Monday evening, 29 July.
Marimuthu said the man in the car seemed to be using a mobile phone.
“As she drove past she observed him chatting,” said Marimuthu.
“Sensing this to be out of the ordinary, she asked him what he was doing there but received no reply. So she drove into her own driveway and while walking to her gate continued to pursue her line of questioning,” added Marimuthu.
“The suspect then gave four sharp blasts on his car hooter. Suddenly, four suspects ran out of her neighbour’s house and climbed into the waiting car.”
Marimuthu said the woman was lucky to avoid being injured as the men in the car discharged a weapon in her direction as the car fled.
See how the Highway Mail reported the incident just after it had occurred on Friday below:
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“Further investigations revealed that a paraplegic 74-year-old man was cleaning his yard when he was approached by four armed suspects. Two of whom accosted him into his house, ransacking the property whilst the others kept guard,” said Marimuthu, adding that the suspects fled with items of household property.
“A case of house robbery has been registered,” she said asking that anyone with information call Malvern SAPS on 031 489 8624, or the Crimestop number on 0860 010 111.
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