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Four men have been arrested after a robbery victim was lured with an online scam.
Rietgat police said the suspects, aged between 18 and 25, face charges for a robbery and kidnapping case that occurred on May 29.
The victim responded to a Facebook Marketplace advertisement in which mag rims were being offered for sale at R3,500. The victim communicated with the “seller” and was provided with a location in Block PP1, Soshanguve, where the transaction was to take place.
On arrival, the victim was approached by a young male who confirmed that they were there to meet the seller. The male then directed the victim to another location nearby where the meeting was allegedly to take place and accompanied the victim in the vehicle.
At the second location, the male exited the vehicle, allegedly to contact the seller. Shortly thereafter, an armed suspect approached the vehicle and instructed the victim to move to the back seat. Three additional suspects joined the armed suspect and took control of the situation.
The suspects allegedly attempted to drive away with the victim’s vehicle but were unsuccessful. They then escorted the victim to a nearby bushy area, where they robbed him of his belongings and forced him to provide access to his cellphone and banking application.
An amount of R4,000 was subsequently transferred from the victim’s Capitec account, with several personal items also taken.
The victim was later released unharmed.
Following investigations, members of SAPS Rietgat traced and arrested the four suspects on Monday, June 1, on charges of robbery and kidnapping.
