Limpopo syndicate targets bank customers
2013-03-03 15:47
Johannesburg - A 55-year-old man died near Marble Hall after being drugged and robbed after withdrawing money from a bank, Limpopo police said on Sunday.
He was one of three men attacked on Friday, said Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi.
The other two survived and were receiving treatment in Groblersdal Hospital. Their condition was stable, he said.
"All three men were drugged on Friday and we believe a syndicate is behind all three incidents, because the modus operandi was the same," said Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi. Mulaudzi said the three men were found to have withdrawn cash from banks shortly before being attacked.
He said it was thought the syndicate stationed a person at a bank, who pretended either to be struggling to withdraw cash from an ATM or to fill in a withdrawal slip.
This person would ask for the help of the victim, giving them a spiked drink as a gesture of thanks.
The victim would be tracked and put into a car when they became disorientated, and would then be taken to an isolated area where they were robbed.
Mulaudzi said the syndicate also appeared to be targeting old people at pension pay-points in the Marble Hall and Groblersdal areas.
- SAPA
