MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Two German tourists had their bank card stolen and almost lost thousands of rands when three suspects told them they needed to pay for public parking near The Point.
The pair (a man and a woman) were near Delfino’s Restaurant when the incident occurred at about 11:00 on Wednesday morning, 12 March, said the police.
The suspects had a little “machine”, similar to a calculator or number section of a keyboard that was stuck to a wall with tape. They told the victims they needed to insert a card into the “machine” to make a payment.
When the man struggled to insert the card, a suspects offered to assist and took it. A scuffle ensued, making bystanders notice that something was wrong.
A similar "machine" to the one used during the crime.
The suspects ran off with the woman giving chase. Two suspects managed to escape in a vehicle, but the third suspect was arrested. According to police the arrest was executed by Mossel Bay CID and Constable Xolisa Smith of the Mossel Bay Police.
The two suspects who escaped later attempted to withdraw 4 000 USD using the stolen card, but did not succeed.
The 32-year-old suspect who was arrested was expected to appear in the Mossel Bay Magistrate’s Court on 14 March on charges of attempted theft and fraud. The outcome of the appearance is not yet known.
The police warned the public to be careful of incidents like these and said they never needed to pay for public parking.
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