Galeshewe - A suspected robber got more than he bargained for when he became the target of mob justice and sustained a broken leg in the process.
The suspect was assaulted by the holder of the stolen bank card.
He lay in pain on the bathroom floor at the Pick n Pay centre in Galeshewe for over two hours, waiting for an ambulance to transport him to hospital on Monday.
Members of the public waited for the man outside the bathroom and threatened to mete out mob justice by clawing his eyes out.
“We will kill him, an eye for an eye. We will kick him in the ribs and break his other leg.”
They stated that ATM robbers regularly stole their hard-earned cash and pension money from the elderly.
“He is a thief, we are tired of these criminals,” they shouted.
As the man screamed, the crowd jeered at him with mock screaming, until he was carried out into the ambulance on a stretcher.
Neville Fritz said he executed a citizen’s arrest after the suspect stole his bank card at the ATM at the Shoprite centre in Barkly Road.
“I felt someone peering over my shoulder as I was trying to withdraw money. He must have copied my pin number as I later received a SMS notification on my cellphone that R3 000 had been withdrawn from my bank account at the Absa ATM at the Pick n Pay centre in Galeshewe.
“I rushed there and approached the suspect who I had recognised from the ATM at the Shoprite Centre. He was holding my bank card in his hand and had withdrawn another R180 from my bank account.”
Fritz said the suspect pulled out a pocket knife and tried to stab him.
“I retaliated by punching him in the face and grabbed the knife, whereupon he suffered a bloody mouth.”
Fritz added that during the scuffle the suspect fell and broke his leg, as he had apparently undergone an operation after previously sustaining a leg injury.
OJ Molusi added that he had assisted Fritz to retrieve the bank card and R180.
Confiscated
“Fritz confiscated the knife and placed it in his pocket while I grabbed his (the suspect’s) other hand and prevented him from fleeing. The security guards allowed us to hold the suspect in the bathroom until the police arrived.
Luckily we were not injured during the incident,” said Molusi.
Police spokesman, Lieutenant Olebogeng Tawana, said the suspect was arrested on a charge of theft.
“It is alleged that the suspect offered to assist the complainant at a local ATM. He stole the complainant’s bank card and went to withdraw the money at another ATM in Galeshewe.”
Tawana added that the suspect sustained injuries and was taken to hospital to receive medical treatment.
“He will appear in the Galeshewe Magistrate’s Court soon. The investigation continues,” Tawana said.
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