A law Enforcement officer was lauded this week after he helped to recover the cellphone of a young mom who was pickpocketed while rushing to catch her bus in Cape Town.
Robin Isaacs, 23, says she got a skrik when her family and friends told her a cop was looking for her as he had found her Samsung phone.
Rafeeq Khan, 27, who works for the City’s Transport Enforcement Unit, says he was patrolling the area near Strand Street last Tuesday when he saw the skelm put his hand inside Robin’s jacket and snatch her phone.
HOTSPOT: Victim’s smartphone was stolen on Strand Street. Photo: Supplied
“I was on the other side of the road and saw the whole thing but by the time I got across the road, she was gone and I got into a scuffle with him for the phone,” the cop says.
“It fell on the floor and he got away and I brought the phone back to the office.
“I saw it was on and looked up numbers and got through to her mother, but she is in the Eastern Cape and told me to call the sister, Tanya Philander, so I phoned her and told her what had happened.”
Robin, who works in a call centre in Strand Street, says after her shift on Tuesday, she sent her friend a text, telling her to meet at the bus station.
“I was rushing because I have to get my two-year-old daughter, Kenza, at 6.30pm. I didn’t even know my new phone was gone until I got to the bus stop and wanted to see if my friend texted me back,” she says.
“I did not want to be late for my child, so I got on the bus and went home to Pelican Park.”
The next day Rafeeq visited her at the call centre to return her phone.
“I could not believe it. I was shocked and I thought: ‘Oh my word, this can’t be real’. I thought that phone was gone forever,” the grateful mom says.
Tanya thanked Rafeeq on social media over the weekend, and the post was shared more than 500 times.
“A real man and very handsome too,” one woman wrote.
The humble hero says the social media comments bowled him over.
“I saw the post and did not expect it to go viral. I have received more than 100 friend requests,” he laughs.