Bank safety is under the spotlight as reports of theft of large sums of money have reached our newsroom.
NMT’s sister paper The Rosebank Killarney Gazette was quick to report a shooting incident outside De La Salle Holy Cross Junior School in Victory Park on 27 February, where a father picking his daughter up was shot three times a few minutes before school ended.
Fareed Hoosen of the Linden Neighbourhood Watch spoke with the victim briefly on the scene, who said two armed men alighted from a VW Golf demanding the money he had just withdrawn from a bank in Randburg. The suspects fled in the direction of Second Avenue in Linden and a case has been opened with the Linden police.
Now, another parent has reached out with her story of cash theft on 26 February, right after trying to do a foreign exchange transaction at a bank.
Claire Groen Direito alleges that she left with the money unchanged after a strange encounter with a teller who told her to come back the next day as there was not enough money to complete her transaction. When her son returned a few minutes later to retrieve the passport copy that was photocopied she relayed that he was told it was given to another colleague and not available.
“I was then followed from Nebank Cresta, to Lifestyle Centre, and then to Verdi Centre on Beyers Naudé Drive where my remote was jammed while locking my car,” she said. “What I find interesting is that my son’s iPad and iPod were also in the vehicle but untouched.”
A case was opened at Honeydew Police Station and while no official connection has been made with either inside jobs or victim negligence, residents are still advised to take as much caution as possible when travelling with large sums of money.
“Be alert when you park at the bank and while you are inside,” recommended Hoosen, “When leaving, be alert to who is leaving with you and who is driving behind you. Routine patterns are easily picked up by criminals. Drive by the local police station if you suspect anything.”
