Robbers open taps to draw victims out in Hazyview area
The police has warned people to refrain from going outside when they hear strange noises at night , instead they must call the police or ask the neighbours to check from their side. .
The communities surrounding Hazyview say it seems every day, criminals are finding more ingenious ways to rob them.
The latest trick being used is to open water taps in yards, and when residents venture outside to close them again, as the water situation in Hazyview is dire, they get attacked and robbed.
A few instances of these acts have recently occurred across suburbs and surrounding areas. One of the victims, Dawie Steyn, said he was lucky to have escaped unharmed after three young men came into his yard on May 12 at about 22:00 and turned on the water tap. Instead of going outside into the yard, he called one of his neighbours to check. “While my neighbour was checking for me, he noticed two of the suspects hiding behind my porch pillars, and he then alerted the other neighbours.
“The three men realised people were coming to my gate and escaped by jumping across the wall fence,” he said.
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Sindiswa Mokoena from Shablala trust lost some of her belongings on May 15 when an unknown number of men opened her JoJo water tank tap to draw her out of the house. “I was still awake when I heard water coming out of the tap and thought someone was stealing my water. I immediately checked through a window, but did not see anyone.
“As I went outside at 23:00 to close the tap, one of the men grabbed me, covered my mouth and pushed me back into the house. They searched the house and took some money and also two cellphones and a broken laptop,” she said. Fortunately, Mokoena was not hurt during the ordeal.
A provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, said criminals will always come up with new ways of breaking the law. He also warned people to refrain from going outside when they hear strange noises. They should call the police instead, or do Steyn did, and alert a neighbour, he advised.
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“We are aware that criminals are using tricks to rob innocent people of their belongings. The water taps are one of these tricks. We urge the victims to report these incidents.”
He also said that residents should try and lock their taps if they can, and not risk their lives, but alert neighbours and the police when they suspect something is happening in their yards, especially at night.
