Motorists taken for a ride

2003-08-18 19:22

Pretoria - Two men and a woman appeared in the Pretoria magistrate's court on Monday for allegedly robbing elderly people of thousands of rands in an elaborate swindle in recent weeks.

The matter was postponed to August 28, said police spokesperson Captain Piletji Sebola. Their names were being withheld until an identity parade had been held.

The three were arrested on August 8 when they allegedly tried to cash a cheque written out by one of their victims, according to a police statement.

Police said their modus operandi involved two of them pulling a victim off the road and "warning" them that a tyre was falling off. The victims were usually elderly widows.

The "Samaritans" then took the person to a garage, where their accomplice, purporting to be a mechanic, would evaluate the "damage" and give a quote.

The victim was then taken home or to a bank to get money for the "repair". The "garage" phoned a few days later to inform the car owner that more repairs were needed, at an extra fee.

One woman wrote out a cheque for R20 000, the statement said. She told a friend about it, who got suspicious and informed the police.

The cheque was cancelled and the three were arrested when they allegedly tried to cash it in Centurion.

The statement said they recently practised their scam in Centurion and other parts of Pretoria.

There were also 12 outstanding cases against them in the Western Cape and two in Port Elizabeth, the statement said.

Police asked other victims to come forward with information.

- SAPA