A Midrand resident, Warren Rocchi, has come forward to Midrand police with information which might be helpful to all residents.
Rocchi said his domestic worker was walking to work recently in Crowthorne when a man bumped into her on the corner of Whisken and Norfolk roads. “She said the man was smartly dressed, but after he brushed against her, she felt uneasy,” Rocchi said.
She then crossed the road to get some distance from him. On that side of the road, another man, wearing a suit jacket and carrying a laptop bag approached her.
“She related that the man said there was something on her and when she looked, she was smeared with black, where the first man had bumped her,” said Rocchi.
As she was trying to clean it off, two men in a silver VW Polo Vivo approached her saying the first man had tried to rob her and that she should get in the car with them and they will try and catch him. Rocchi said the story did not sit well with his domestic worker and she declined their offer and quickly got into one of the residential complexes security offices at the gate.
“The security guards there told her that the four men were working together because they had seen the two men in [a] VW Polo dropping off the other two on the road earlier.”
Rocchi said he was thankful that his domestic worker had the foresight to not get into the car. “She could have been missing by now. People should be aware of suspicious situations whereby a decoy is used to distract you under the false guise of good Samaritans,” he warned.
Constable Matome Tlamela of Midrand Police Station said that no case could be opened in this instance, however, she wanted to warn people about being too trusting of strangers.
Tlamela said people should always be aware of the following personal safety tips:
- Never walk around alone and do not talk to strangers. Be on the lookout for strange cars or people.
- Walk in well-lit busy streets and in a group, if possible.
- Make sure your home is secure and become a member of an armed response service. Be sure that you know all the emergency numbers or have them displayed in an accessible area.
- Always let someone know where you are going and how long you will be gone. But think twice before advertising your impending absence on social media. Criminals also have access to Facebook and Twitter.
- Trust your instinct.
- Avoid going onto a congested street where you cannot even walk properly as that is where you will find criminals pickpocketing.
- Avoid displaying valuables where criminals can see them.
Details: Midrand Police Station 011 347 1600.
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