Police in Gauteng have noted with concern the continued peddling of fake news relating to human trafficking and/or kidnapping of women and children, and are cautioning the public against the incessant promotion and distribution of such malicious untruths.
This practice continues to spread even after the office of the national commissioner in the past two weeks issued a similar warning, while putting matters into perspective.
A video clip has surfaced on various social media platforms where an unknown man frantically claims to have witnessed the kidnapping of a woman at gunpoint at the Boulders Shopping Centre in Midrand.
SAPS wishes to confirm that in fact on September 22 at around 11.15am at the Boulders Shopping Centre, police from Midrand SAPS responded to an incident where a woman was allegedly robbed of an undisclosed amount of cash at gunpoint.
Preliminary investigations suggest two unknown suspects travelling in an SUV may have followed the woman from a bank where she had reportedly withdrawn a large amount of money.
The suspects are said to have accosted the victim in the basement parking at the shopping centre and demanded money from her at gunpoint. The suspects made off with the victim’s handbag and other valuables. The woman and a six-year-old child, who was with her, were uninjured and are safe.
In a fake story recorded on a voice note in Afrikaans, a woman calling herself ‘Jeanie from NCIS’ claims a child was kidnapped at a Pick n Pay store in Brits and that similar incidents happened in Nelspruit, Bloemfontein and Johannesburg.
The woman goes on to substantiate her lies by claiming police have confirmed to her these incidents of kidnappings are on the increase.
Police can confirm that this too is nothing but just a perpetuation of this trending act of malice that only seeks to sow panic and pandemonium among communities.
In some instances that are not necessarily from social media, some members of the public have taken to mainstream media with allegations of human trafficking and kidnapping, claiming to know victims or to have witnessed incidents.
However, when police reach out to determine specific cases, incidents or police stations for purposes of investigation, no such detail can be provided by the same people.
Gauteng police commissioner Lt-Gen Elias Mawela has reminded the public that no good can come from the spreading of fake news.
“The anonymity that often surrounds the identity of the creators or sources of fake news, confirms the intention can only be hostile, seeking to unsettle community-police relations that the SAPS is working so hard to build and restore,” said Mawela.
In the meantime, police in Gauteng will continue to give priority attention to genuine cases of human trafficking, kidnappings, as well as crimes committed against women, children and other vulnerable persons.
Parents are urged to remain vigilant and prioritise the safety of their children at all times and to always be aware of the children’s whereabouts. Children should not be left unattended as this could create an opportunity for criminals to commit crime.
Members of the public are encouraged to report crime and/or suspicious activities by contacting their nearest police station or calling the SAPS crime stop number 08600 10111.
Information may also be conveyed to the police on the MySAPS App that can be downloaded on any smartphone.
