Police debunk ‘child stalking’ claims
No truth to claims of men stalking young girls at shopping malls.
DURBAN North SAPS Communications Officer, Captain Raymond Deokaran, has debunked rumours that groups of Middle Eastern men are stalking young girls at an uMhlanga Rocks shopping centre.
In the messages, which are doing the rounds via social media, a mother claims that she had her daughter with her and was followed by a group of men at Gateway.
The woman further claimed that the men were seen talking on their cell phones, some had earphones and some were face timing. The message follows a previous claim that a mother and her four-year-old daughter were being followed by a group of men at the Pavilion Shopping Centre.
“The messages are a hoax. We have not received any reports of these kinds of incidents. There were no reports received by us and I can verify that no such incident occurred in regards to all these that are posts circulating,” he added.
“Despite there being no verification of such incidents taking place, parents with young children are urged to ensure that they are vigilant in shopping malls. Parents must hold their children’s hands or make sure that their children are within sight,” Deokaran said.
Durban North uMhlanga Crisis Team chairperson, Carol van Tonder echoed Deokaran’s sentiments saying it was the norm for these type of messages to do the rounds as we approach the busy festive season.
