Impersonators steal jewellery from Glenhills woman’s home

WHEN three women approached a Durban North property owner, under the guise of purchasing her home, she didn’t think they had ulterior motives as her property is on the market. The trio then allegedly robbed her and stole jewellery and a laptop worth thousands of Rands.

Speaking to Northglen News, Helena Small said she heard a car hoot at her driveway on Thursday at about midday. Thinking it was the garden service, as they usually came around on Thursdays, she opened the gate and let them in.

“I saw that it wasn’t the garden service, so I closed the gate. Before it could close, two women made their way into the yard and asked if they could look at my house. While talking to them, a third woman appeared,” said Small.

She explained to the women, who told her they were all sisters, they should speak to the estate agent and arrange a viewing. One of them, who pretended to be interested in the house, said they wanted to take a look. Small obliged.

“The one woman said she had just seen a property in Orthman Road and was looking for a house to buy. It seemed legit as there is a house for sale on that road. She said she lived in Pietermaritzburg and worked for a government department, and that she and her three children lived in a small house, which was why she was looking for a bigger place,” she said.

Small said the women were neatly dressed and was not suspicious of them. She said they seemed interested in purchasing the house and asked all the right questions.

“They looked around the house but they were never out of my sight. The woman said her name was Eva and left her contact details behind and asked me to contact her once my husband and I had spoken,” she said.

When the women left in a Toyota Corolla, that was seemed blue in colour, she noticed a man was driving.

“I then noticed one of my rings on the passage floor and went into the room to place it back into it’s jewellery box. That’s when I noticed that all of my jewellery was missing,” said Small.

Her wedding rings, her mother’s engagement rings and six gold bangles were stolen.

“I notified Marshall Security and they responded. The security officer told me a similar incident had occurred about three years ago and the people involved were stealing laptops. When I went into my room to check, I noticed that my Apple Mac was also stolen,” she said.

Small warned the community of Durban North to be vigilant and to not let unknown people onto their properties. She has not opened a case with SAPS yet.