Free State police spokesperson Thandi Mbambo says the incident occurred in the Miriam Makeba Street when the alleged suspects accosted a 30-year-old woman residing in Brandwag, who is said to have been walking alone in the area. They allegedly proceeded to rob her at knife point before fleeing the scene with her cell phone. They were, however, spotted by police and a chase ensued. Mbambo says the chase ended in Hoffman Square, where the trio was arrested with both the knife and the cell phone in the suspects' possession. All three suspects will appear before the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

In late April, Bloemfontein police reported a sudden spike in the number of ATM scams reported in the Free State capital. Police spokesperson, Thabo Covane, told OFM News police initially received reports of a group of scammers, operating in the Langenhoven Park area, with incidents reported at The Walk, Rendezvous and The Towers shopping centres. Covane said the suspects travel in groups of three and four and target older persons at the ATM. He described their modus operandi, explaining they pretend to assist victims having trouble at the ATM, while noting their pin numbers etc. In the process, they swop cards, or steal the card. 

Covane added police had been tracking the suspects and as a result they had moved from Langenhoven Park and have been spotted at the Showgate Centre and Bays Village. He encourages members of the public to withdraw money from supermarket tills, instead of ATMs. He says the suspects have, in their movements, made use of different vehicles including a Renault Clio, a Hyundai and a Mercedes Benz.

OFM News