Johannesburg - A Mondeor robber who has been terrorising elderly residents of the Joburg South suburb has been caught.
The man was caught in the act on Tuesday just as he was about to pounce on an elderly man, said Mondeor police spokeswoman Constable Elizabeth Mnguni. Mnguni said the old man had just left his house to go for his morning walk when the thug forced him back into the property.
Unbeknown to him, members of the Mondeor Tracing Unit who had been gathering information on the man were waiting for him inside the house.
For a while, the officers set up surveillance in the area and “once we had all the information we needed, we sent police officers into the community to wait at homes belonging to senior citizens”, said Mnguni.
“We had an idea when he was going to strike again and he did, he targeted a new home but when he got onto the property police were waiting for him,” she said.
Mnguni added that police also had evidence to prove that the man they had caught was the suspect.
“I can’t elaborate on this because the investigation is still sensitive but we can confirm, it’s him,” she said.
Over the past month, at least seven elderly members of the Mondeor community fell victim to the man’s violent robberies.
He was notorious for watching his victims for some time before striking, learning their schedules.
According to Glenvista Community Policing Forum (CPF) spokesman Mike Fontes, the man had an idea of when his victims would open their door or go outside and he would then go onto their properties as they’re leaving, forcing them back inside their residence.
“He struck about once a week. In some cases he has even pretended to be a beggar. Once in the house, he punched them in the face, dragged them around the house by the neck and in two instances has tried to throw boiling water onto his victims,” Fontes said.
The 32-year-old suspect is expected to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court on Thursday.
@Lanc_02
The Star