Ivory Park Police has sent out a stern warning to the public after a 35-year-old woman was allegedly raped during a date with a man she met on an online dating site.
According to the police, the woman met with the man from Primrose in Germiston at Phomolong on 1 April after communicating for a while online.
They proceeded to an isolated area in Ebony Park, where the man allegedly threatened the victim with a pair of scissors and raped her. He allegedly also took her cell phone during the ordeal.
The 32-year-old man allegedly drove the victim to a club not far from the crime scene and left her there. Station Commander for Ivory Park Police Station Brigadier David Ngcobo has warned the public to be vigilant when it comes to their online ‘friends’.
“Do not meet strangers alone and in isolated spaces. It is advisable to have someone such as a family member or friend to accompany you to the meeting place.”
Ngcobo further said that even though the accompanying friend may not be part of the meeting, it would be safer to have them watching from a distance. He also said that people should make their families aware of their whereabouts.
“As much as we commit to investigating any case that is reported to us, we call on people using online dating sites as they are replete with dodgy and dangerous characters to practise vigilance at all times,” concluded Ngcobo.
The suspect is expected to appear in the Tembisa Magistrates’ Court to answer to a charge of rape and robbery of a cell phone.
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