Police together with a neighbourhood watch have arrested two skelms after they robbed and attacked a 89-year-old woman with a fake gun.
It was the quick-thinking of the woman’s 68-year-old son, the Carolla Neighbourhood Watch and cops that secured the arrests on Friday in Farm Street, Ottery.
Not only did the teams arrest the boewe after they found them hiding behind a vibracrete wall, but they also recovered the ouma’s handbag and money and a fake gun still in their possession.
The woman has been left with severe injuries to her face, shoulders and arms after being dragged by the skelms and falling onto the pavement during the mugging.
On Monday, the woman’s 62-year-old relative who asked not to be identified, says the old lady had a large amount of money on her and had been on her way to her son when she was attacked.
The pensioner was getting out of her car and even greeted her attackers, moments before they pushed her over and took her bag.
“She had gotten out of her car and was checking that her vehicle’s doors were locked,” explains the relative. She greeted them and they greeted her while passing by.
“The next moment she found herself on the ground, and the suspects were pulling her bag which had been slung across her body.”
The woman says the elderly lady suffered injuries to her head and shoulders, as the suspects pulled the bag with force from her frail body.
She alerted her son inside the house by screaming for help.
The son grabbed a duplicate set of keys to his mom’s car and pursued the robbers.
She says, the son chased after the men and alerted the neighbourhood watch on his cellphone but gave up the pursuit when the skelms threatened him.
“His wife attended to his mother. They had confronted him with a knife and he drove back home to check on his mother,” adds the relative.
According to Grassy Park Police Station Communications officer, Captain Wynita Kleinsmith, cops together with the residents and the neighbourhood watch launched a search and found the skelms hiding behind a wall in Farm Street, Ottery.
She says they retrieved the fake gun and money.
Police spokesperson, Captain FC van Wyk confirms the arrest: “This office can confirm a case of robbery with an imitation firearm and common assault was opened for investigation.
“Two suspects aged 31 and 21 were arrested, and the stolen goods were all recovered and handed back to complainant.”