KZN woman attacked, robbed and almost raped allegedly by Facebook friend

A KZN woman was attacked, robbed and almost raped allegedly by a man she met for the first time following their chats on social media.

Reaction Unit South African (Rusa) said the woman was from Newlands West, Durban, KZN, and that at around 6.58 pm on Wednesday, a member of its team was flagged down by locals requesting assistance for the woman.

In a statement, Rusa said the 28-year-old woman said that she had been chatting with an individual on Facebook for just over a month and on Wednesday she boarded a taxi and met him at the Verulam Taxi Rank.

“He asked her to accompany him to a friend’s house which was within walking distance. After she agreed, they stopped at a garage where he bought her a bottle of water. After drinking the water, she claimed that she started feeling dizzy.

“She could not confirm if the bottle of water was sealed before he handed it to her. While taking a shortcut, she stopped to urinate in a pathway when her male companion hit her on her head with a rock. He then attempted to rape her but when she started screaming for help he stole her handbag containing two cellphones, a tablet, and her wallet before he fled in an unknown direction,” the statement reads.

Residents who were alerted by the woman’s screams went to her assistance, the statement adds.

“Rusa medics assessed the traumatised victim and found that she had sustained a laceration to her head from the assault.

“Reaction officers conducted a search for the suspect however he still remains at large.”

(Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu)

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