On October 18 a man was drawing money at an ATM in town at about 22:00 when he was shot and robbed. It has been reported widely in the past that Witbank SAPS spokespersons urges people to be cautious in the CBD and never to travel alone. In this case the victim was not travelling alone but two people against an alleged group of five robbers are not good odds for the victims.
Another robbery occurred at an ATM next to the CBD post office. The incident was reported on Crime Stop Witbank which is a Facebook group to raise awareness against crime in the local community.
Apparently the victim was drawing money late at night over the weekend when he noticed an unknown man dressed like a security guard idly standing behind him.
The victim apparently thought he was on guard but when he tried to leave, the robber in disguise attacked him and tried to grab his bank card from his hand. The victim tried to fight back and was hit hard in the face. Apparently the robber escaped with his money and bankcard.
One of the comments on the story said: “Why on earth do folks use ATMs in shady areas? Go to an ATM where there are more people around or think ahead if you may need cash, use a supermarket to draw.”
Sgt David Ratau from Witbank SAPS has reiterated his previous warning to never travel alone and if at all possible never travel through the CBD at night at all. Since these incidents, the biggest danger of using an ATM was getting one’s bankcard cloned but these victims were in danger of losing not only the contents of their wallets but their lives as well.
This is not what the victim told me. I actually saw his broken bank card. His money was not taken from him although they tried.
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