The Mpumalanga police are urging the public to be vigilant of criminals using social media to lure victims to be defrauded, robbed, kidnapped, raped and even murdered.
This warning follows the recent court appearance of a 23-year-old man who coaxed several women to meet him in a secluded area via social media, where he allegedly robbed and raped them.
A statement from a provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, said the 23-year-old eSwatinian man used a social media platform to carry out his crimes in 2021.
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“The incidents were reported to the police and the dockets assigned to a team of investigators from the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit in Pienaar, which investigated and discovered that there was a possible serial rapist on the loose,” said Mohlala.
“The FCS Unit traced and arrested the man in Matsulu in September 2021. The suspect was charged for the contravention of the immigration act after it was discovered that he did not have valid documents to be in South Africa, as well as for four counts of rape and three for robbery.”
Mohlala said the man is expected to appear in the Matsulu Periodical Court on Thursday September 22.
“The police are calling on the public to be wary of these individuals and to not entertain them. These people always seek new ways to defraud victims of their money. They even go to the extent of informing some victims that there is an inheritance left by unknown family members,” he said.
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“They entice their victims to pay a certain amount for ‘administration purposes’ in order for the funds to be released. The same dirty tricks are used to lure victims to false competitions. When the money has been transferred, the suspects then stop communication.”
He said the police have also noticed a number of people have either been conned out of their money after seeing expensive vehicles or household items advertised cheaply on social media.
“It is against this backdrop that the police request the public to always practise caution,” Mohlala said.
