Two men have been taken into custody following allegations that they used a dating app to lure men in Pietermaritzburg to an abandoned building in Scottsville, where the victims were reportedly assaulted and robbed.
Colin David, director of Mi7 National Group, stated on Wednesday, December 24, that multiple cases had been reported at police stations in Pietermaritzburg over the past two months.
“The victims, all male, described a consistent pattern. They would communicate with someone through a popular dating app and be persuaded to go to a location in Scottsville. Upon arrival, they were confronted by five to seven suspects and forced into an abandoned building,” he explained.
David added that the victims were held in a room, threatened at gunpoint, and coerced into emptying their bank accounts through mobile banking apps, either via e-wallets or direct bank transfers.
A breakthrough occurred last week when one victim provided banking records indicating the ATM used for withdrawals and the transaction times.
“This information enabled detectives from Alexandra Road police station to trace the suspects to Scottsville Mall, where CCTV footage captured the suspects and their vehicle. Mi7 teams then used the Mi7 Surveillance Net, a system of over 150 cameras with automatic number plate recognition, to track the vehicle across Pietermaritzburg and the midlands,” David said.
The Volkswagen Polo was later spotted and intercepted on Oribi Road, where two suspects were found inside, including one in possession of a firearm loaded with live ammunition.
Investigators subsequently returned to the abandoned building linked to the crimes, recovering additional live ammunition, more than 40 car keys, several vehicle ignitions, a computer box for a vehicle, an alarm modem, and gate remote controls.
David confirmed that investigations are ongoing, noting that the suspects are believed to be connected to other criminal activities. Authorities also suspect there may be additional victims who have not come forward due to fear of stigma.