A SUNNINGDALE mother has made an urgent appeal to residents and the public to be on the lookout for a custom modified bicycle that was stolen from her 13-year-old son last week.
The mother, who does not want to be named, said her son was riding the bicycle on Youngberry Crescent on Wednesday (29 July) at about 3pm when he was accosted by two men.
“My son normally takes the main routes when visiting friends or riding in the area but this day he happened to take a side road while visiting his friend. The custom bicycle’s chain had come undone and he had stopped to fit it back on when two men approached him. They asked if they could help and my son politely declined. Then one of the men asked if he could take it for a short ride and he would be back. My son again said no and that’s when they forcibly took the bicycle from him.
Read also: Three arrested in connection with Springfield Park business break-in
“He explained he was too scared to fight back because he could’ve been beaten up. He also had his backpack with other valuables in it and he didn’t want the men to take that from him so he let go of the bicycle. A kind lady walking on the road stopped when she saw my son crying and asked if she could help. A neighbour then spotted my son who explained what had happened. They drove around looking for the two suspects,” she said.
One of the suspects was later spotted on Rinaldo Road and questioned but he claimed he didn’t know the whereabouts of the bicycle.
“My son had been saving all his pocket money to modify this bicycle and it was a long-term project of his. He has been left distraught by this whole ordeal and he told me he won’t be riding in the area again because he is so traumatised. We are just asking anyone who may know the whereabouts of the bicycle to contact me on 082 339 7924. We just want the bicycle back because it has great sentimental value,” she said.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
You can also sign up for news alerts on Telegram. Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5532. 
Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.
