WATCH: Man snatches wig from female driver during traffic stop
The wigs that cost around R3,000, depending on the length, have been reported to be a quick-buck scheme for thieves.
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Drivers are warned not to put their bags or valuables on car seats as that only attracts smash-and-grabbers, especially where there is traffic or one is stopped at a traffic light. However, no one ever warned female drivers not to drive with their windows open if they have a wig because, apparently, that is now an opportunity for those who target hair.
A video doing the rounds on social media will hopefully serve as a warning to female drivers to drive with their windows closed or put their wigs in a safe place, along with other valuables, to keep them safe. In the video, a driver who is stuck in traffic loses her wig in a second after a thief spotted it.
The incident seems to have taken place in Pietermaritzburg, where similar incidents have been reported to be rife. Reports of wig-snatching thieves surfaced in 2017 after police in Durban warned women to look after their wigs.
The wigs that cost from R3,000, depending on the length, are a quick-buck scheme for the addicts in the Durban CBD, who then sell them to hair salons or other people on the street for a cheaper price.
Nqo Khumalo of Diamond Hair Salon told Daily Sun at the time she had many addicts come to her salon to sell the wigs for as little as R250, which is a bargain for a wig that costs about R3,000.
Khumalo reportedly said her clients did buy the wigs even though they knew they had been taken off another woman’s head. Though she was worried about the trend, she told the tabloid she could not stop it, as she was afraid of confronting the perpetrators.
The perpetrators mastered the art of differentiating between a wig and a weave.
Durban Central Police Station’s Captain Khephu Ndlovu confirmed to the tabloid that he had received several complaints from women who were robbed of their pricey wigs.
He further advised women to avoid areas around King Dinuzulu Park, Warwick Junction, Field Street, and The Workshop Shopping Centre if they wanted to keep their wigs.
Watch the video below shared by Twitter user Sinenhlanhla:
https://twitter.com/Snenezy/status/1098124831294451713
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