Local Police are warning small business owners, more specifically salon owners, to be aware of a group of people going around stealing cellular phones.
This emerged after a 22 year old woman, who was part of this group was arrested in Ebony Park last week after the people she was with stole two cellphones at a salon while she was being attended to by the hairstylist.
“She was just keeping the salon owner distracted. Immediately after the four suspects disappeared with the cellphones, the woman was prevented from leaving the salon and the police called to the scene.” Captain Matimulane told KAE News.
“After listening it became apparently clear to the officers that this was not just a random act of theft but a well-co-ordinated theft enterprise spanning all the way from Soweto, to Ebony Park and possibly some other places.” Matimulane said.
Basically the group operates as follows: they all enter the salon or a small business establishment posing as clients, keep the operator focused on something else, then taking the cellphone while the operator is busy with one of them, then leave the place.
After her luck ran out the woman, who is from Berea in Johannesburg told the police about some few other stealing adventures at another hair salon in Ebony Park and Soweto. She claims that the man she was with was her boyfriend who had just introduced her to this way of life.
The woman has been charged with two counts of theft while the search for her accomplices is underway. She was taken to the Tembisa Magistrate’s Court soon to face the charges levelled against her.
“Anyone who has been a victim of a similar theft in the past is advised to get in touch with the Ivory Park SAPS, just to establish if this suspect was involved or not,” said Brigadier David Mbongeni Ngcobo, the Station Commander of the Ivory Park SAPS.
