Yet another woman victim fell victim to crime at the Village Square Mall in Randfontein’s Central Business District (CBD) recently – but this time, it was theft out of a motor vehicle.
Madri Vermeulen’s handbag was stolen from her husband’s vehicle in the mall’s parking lot on Thursday, 27 October. She explained she went to the mall to do some shopping but was fearful of taking her handbag with her. Consequently, she left the bag in the car, taking only her bank card with her.
She said she noticed an Isuzu double cab bakkie parked next to their car and that her husband was speaking to a man whom she wrote off as being a hawker.
When she got back to the car, she put her bank card in the car without thinking and drove off to a shop in Kocksoord. When she wanted to go into the shop, she reached for her bag and realised it was gone.
Vermeulen said she subsequently went back to the mall to investigate. She claims to have checked video footage of the incident showing what she believed was the hawker distracting her husband while another man reached into the car to take her handbag.
Her handbag contained the identity documents of various family members as well as the keys to both the family’s vehicles.
To Vermeulen’s surprise, just a day after the incident, a suspect was arrested, but the contents of her bag are still missing.
Francois du Buisson from Village Square Mall management said, “We’re please to report that our security caught a suspect the next day. He has been arrested.”
Du Buisson said they realise Vermeulen is the second victim of crime in the mall, and confirmed that the mall takes the thefts very seriously.
“Village Square Mall constantly assesses its security measures and among the ongoing security initiatives at the mall, we recently invested in an upgrade to the CCTV system. It is thanks to this prioritising of security that we were able to identify a culprit in this incident,” he said.
“To help combat this kind of petty crime, we encourage shoppers to be attentive to their surroundings and belongings, lock up before they leave their cars, secure their valuables out of sight and report anything they believe to be suspicious. Everyone can make a difference for crime prevention. Village Square Mall makes every effort to ensure the safety of our shoppers and their possessions,” Du Buisson said.
According to Captain Appel Ernst, the Randfontein Police spokesperson, “A case of theft out of a motor vehicle was opened on 27 October and the suspect was arrested on 28 October.” The case will be heard on 7 November.
Vermeulen added she would like to thank Constable Shoes Mosweu, Constable Sibiya and Warrant Officer Dicks. She also urged anyone who picks up any identity documents to hand them over to the police to return to her.
