Police have warned of the dangers of using classifieds sites after a woman was hijacked by a man who saw her ad on Gumtree.
|||Cape Town - Police have warned of the potential dangers of buying or selling using classifieds websites such as Gumtree.
This comes after a 46-year-old woman was hijacked at gunpoint in Kenilworth on Sunday by a man who said he was interested in buying a watch she had advertised on Gumtree.
She arranged to meet the man at about 5pm in the McDonald’s parking lot on the corner of Wetton Road and Rosmead Avenue.
A few minutes later a witness saw a VW Polo speeding across the Wetton Road bridge over the M5.
The witness went to the McDonald’s car park where he spoke to the woman. She told him the hijacker, who identified himself as “Clint”, had asked to be driven to an ATM.
Seconds after getting into the car, Clint pulled out his firearm and pushed her out of the car. He tried to speed off, but a nearby ADT guard was alerted and opened fire, wounding Clint.
Clint returned fire and drove down Wetton Road, where the witness saw him crash into a vehicle at an intersection. No one was injured.
Clint ran up the street and got into a waiting red car, which sped off.
Traut said: “While these classifieds sites are great, free-of-charge platforms to advertise your goods, people need to be aware that criminals exploit websites such as Gumtree to target victims. A site like Gumtree gives criminals the necessary opportunity to do their homework, to gather information about you and/or a product and then to formulate a plan for a crime.”
Hanif Loonat, chairman of the province’s community police forum, said offences originating from interactions on Gumtree had been “creeping into crime stats” over the past three years at an alarming rate.
This latest incident comes a few weeks before four men accused of murdering 21-year-old Olwyn Cowley go on trial in the Western Cape High Court.
Cowley disappeared on August 30 after setting out to meet people who were interested in buying his BMW 325ti, which he had advertised on Gumtree. His body was found at Monwabisi beach near Khayelitsha the next day. He had been shot in the head. His abandoned car was found in Mitchells Plain.
Traut advised the following:
* Be cautious of anyone met through online interactions, whether on classifieds websites or elsewhere. Automatically consider that they could be a potential danger.
* Always arrange to meet prospective buyers/sellers in safe environments where there are many people around and only during daylight hours. He said the space outside police stations could be used to deter criminals.
* Always inform loved ones of your whereabouts before meeting a prospective buyer/seller.
* Meet prospective buyers/sellers while being accompanied by friends or trusted acquaintances.
daneel.knoetze@inl.co.za
Cape Argus