Local cyclists the target of robberies
Cyclists being targeted by thieves on Riverside Road.
A LOCAL cyclist was grabbed around the neck and dragged off his bicycle by a mugger, before being robbed of his belongings on Riverside Road. The incident occurred at about 5.15am on Sunday morning. This is the third mugging involving a cyclist this year and the second in just four days.
The cyclist, believed to be in his 60s, was just about to join the Ellis Brown Viaduct’s pedestrian walkway over the uMngeni River when he came across a man blocking his path.
“The cyclist had just passed the suspect when he grabbed him around the neck. He pulled him off his bicycle and made off with his cell phone and R150 in cash from the cyclist’s backpack. The suspect ran off in the direction of Riverside Road.
“Another cyclist was robbed on Wednesday afternoon at about 3pm. Though the man hasn’t opened a case, he was also robbed of his belongings,” explained Lt Raymond Deokaran, spokesman for the Durban North SAPS.
This is the sixth mugging in the area in recent weeks, following the robbery and stabbing of a man at Durban North’s Japanese Gardens last week.
“I urge residents to cycle, walk or run in bigger groups wherever possible. Our crime prevention unit has increased patrols in the area. We believe this is the work of the opportunistic criminals and we haven’t ruled out the possibility that it could be vagrants,” he explained.
