Police in the Free State have launched a manhunt for three armed robbers who allegedly kidnapped an elderly couple from their Bophelong home, held them captive for two days, and used their cellphones to drain money from their bank accounts.
The incident allegedly began on Sunday while the 73-year-old man and his 67-year-old wife were asleep at their home. According to police, the couple were ambushed by three armed men who forced their way into the house by breaking a sliding door.
What started as a house robbery quickly escalated into a kidnapping ordeal, with the suspects allegedly assaulting the couple, demanding cash, loading household appliances into the victims’ vehicle, and then forcing the elderly pair into their own Suzuki.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Mahlomola Kareli said the robbers drove the couple around Bloemfontein before taking them to Botshabelo, where they were allegedly held in a shack while the suspects carried out financial transactions using the victims’ phones.
“The suspects loaded household appliances into the victims’ vehicle and forced the victims into their own Suzuki and drove with them around Bloemfontein before taking them to Botshabelo,” Kareli said.
“There, the victims were locked inside an unknown shack while the suspects performed fraudulent transactions and digitally transferred an undisclosed sum of money from the victims’ bank accounts using their cellphones.”
The couple’s ordeal ended in the early hours of Tuesday morning when the suspects allegedly returned them to their residence in Bophelong. Police said the robbers left the victims inside the vehicle before fleeing the scene on foot.
Kareli said police were called to the scene shortly afterwards.
“Members of the Kopanong police were called to the scene. A case of house robbery and kidnapping has been opened for investigation,” he said.
The alleged attack has prompted a search for the three suspects, with investigators appealing to the public for information that could assist in tracing them.
The South African Police Service has urged anyone who may know anything about the incident, or who may have seen suspicious activity linked to the case, to come forward urgently.
Members of the public can contact detective Lieutenant Colonel Sias Smit of Kopanong SAPS on 063 692 1196. Information can also be reported to Crime Stop on 08600 10111, or submitted anonymously through the MySAPS App.
Police have not disclosed the amount of money allegedly transferred from the couple’s bank accounts, and no arrests had been announced at the time of the report.
Investigations into the house robbery and kidnapping are continuing.
