Man robs Montclair home for elders
The man is described as tall, big in build and dark in complexion.
A WORD of caution is being sent out to residents, especially at old age homes in the area. This follows an incident that happened at The Elders Voice’s Thornhill House in Montclair.
Recently, the unsuspecting organisation was the victim of a robbery. Disguised as a decontaminator, an Indian man who is described as tall, big on build and dark went to the home under the pretence to spray the building. The man told management at the home that someone had paid for the service.
The founder of the home, Joanne Herbst, said while the residents were not traumatised, they felt that their privacy was violated following the ordeal.
She said items such as cash and jewellery went missing from the rooms the man had gone into. Herbst said they are currently installing cameras at the entrance of the home to avoid similar incidents. She warned other homes to be careful of scammers as they’re using all kinds of tactics to enter premises.
“All protocols were followed and his story was just very believable. He told us that someone had paid to spray the residence. A resident walked with him from room to room but as he was spraying poison, he entered alone, closed-door and sprayed.
“He closed the door behind him and told residents to wait about half an hour for the poison to subside before entering the rooms,” she said.
She said her message to the man would be to tell him that he had stolen from the most vulnerable sector of society, the aged.
“These residents are not wealthy people but are Sassa pensioners, do right by them and return what you took,” she added. The home’s Lucia Joubert said the man wore long-sleeved clothing, a cap and had a backpack on him. She said there was no way of telling if he had tattoos or not.
“When I went into my room after he had been there, I found it strange that some of my belongings were on the floor. I had a money box there to try to help me save up and that man just walked away with it. He went up to another woman’s room and he took her money as well.
“He went into a few rooms more and rudely chased people out. It was such a shock to all of us because we never suspected a thing. With all the sponsors we get, we trust people. We’re all trying our best to survive and then people like him come along, to take advantage of old people makes me so mad.
