Brazen robber strikes twice in Pinetown

A ROBBER accosted two Pinetown residents in separate incidents on the same day, Wednesday, 26 September.

Blue Security community and media liaison officer, Andreas Mathios, said the intruder, who initially appeared friendly to his victim, ambushed and robbed her of her cellphone and purse on a property in Farningham Ridge.

Mathios said it is believed that the same suspect then went on to rob a second victim who was asleep in his home in Hatton Estate.

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According to Mathios, the first victim had just arrived at a property in Underwood Road and parked her vehicle when she was accosted by the suspect.

“The woman parked her vehicle and walked around to the back to get her baby out of the car. When she looked up, she noticed a man walking towards her with a friendly approach and she assumed that he probably worked on the property.

“The man grabbed her by the neck. She threw her phone and purse away from herself and the suspect then grabbed them and fled, jumping over the main gate and fled towards a nearby river,” explained Mathios.

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He said the same suspect then allegedly went onto a property in Lesley Drive in Hatton Estate, where he walked into a garden cottage.

“The victim was at home sleeping when he was awoken by an intruder inside his garden cottage. A scuffle broke out and the suspect grabbed the victim’s cellphone and wallet and fled the scene, again in the direction of the river, before jumping into a taxi. The victim later managed to find his phone near the fence of his property where the suspect dropped it as he fled.”

The SAPS K9 unit, Pinetown SAPS, Blue Security, Proforce Security and neighbourhood watch groups gave chase but the suspect managed to escape.

Mathios advised residents to always ensure gates and doors are locked when at home during the day to prevent opportunistic criminals from gaining entry into houses.

“If you are at home during the day, make sure that your external infra-red beams are also switched on and that security gates and doors are locked. This will reduce the element of surprise that criminals rely on when targeting their victims and it will give you time to press your panic alarm and call for help,’ advised Mathios.

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