- A Welkom couple was arrested for robbing two people of their cellphones at gunpoint
- The police found four cellphones and a metal toy gun
- Two cases of armed robberies are been investigated
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A couple was arrested for robbing a woman of her cellphone at gunpoint. In a separate incident a mine worker was also robbed of his cellphone, wallet, cash, mine card and other personal cards.
The incidents happened on 17 and 19 October in Thabong and Welkom.
On 19 October at about 17:10 the 26-year-old woman was walking towards Jan Cilliers Park shopping center. When she wanted to cross the road a grey Hyundai Getz stopped next to her and the femal passenger asked her for directions to Jan Hofmeyer Road. “As she was about to give the directions, the woman heard a firearm been cocked. The female suspect demanded her cellphone. The complainant gave her the cellphone as she was afraid that the woman was going to shoot her. The perpetrators then drove off,” says Capt. Stephen Thakeng, media liaison officer for the Lejweleputswa SAPS.
Thakeng says a good Samaritan helped the victim to follow the suspects who stopped at the Put Put Golf centre in Welkom CBD.
“The complainant managed to stop a passing by marked Police vehicle driven by Lt Col Conrad Fouché. He called for help from the Lejweleputswa District Task Team.
The two SAPS members found four cellphones and a metal toy gun in the Getz.
“The complainant managed to identify her cellphone, a blue Huawei P20 valued R3 000 which was handed back to her. The other cellphones were kept in the SAPS store for further investigation. The grey Hyundai Getz with FS registration number was confiscated,” says Thakeng.
The same couple are linked and charged with an incident that occurred on 17 October at night in Thabong, where a 35-year-old mine worker was robbed when he was asked for directions. His Nokia C10 cellphone, wallet, cash, mine employment card, personal cards were robbed also at gun point.
Two cases of armed robberies are been investigated by Detective Sergeant Pitso Matsie of the Welkom Serious and Violent Crimes.
