POLOKWANE - Police have warned the public against carrying large amounts of cash after a couple were robbed of a substantial amount of money at about 10am on Saturday at the Savannah Mall in Polokwane in Limpopo.
It is alleged that the husband and wife had just withdrawn the money from one of the banks at the mall, with the aim of purchasing a motor vehicle, Limpopo SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said in a statement.
Soon after the couple got into a vehicle in the parking lot, two unknown men approached from either side and pointed firearms at them. Shots were fired and in the process, the suspects broke the driver’s window and took the cash as well as the wife’s handbag. The suspects then fled from the scene. Nobody was injured.
"As the safer festive season operations that have been launched are in full swing around the province, community members are urged to contribute to the police’s crime prevention endeavours by, among other things, limit the tendency of carrying large sums of money for purposes of making purchases.
"This is not necessary, as many transactions can still be made in the banks without one having to withdraw cash for such purpose. Bank cards can also be used to make transactions," Mojapelo said.
Anyone with information about the incident was requested to contact Constable Maake at 079-897-9033. Members of the public were encouraged to continue providing information on crime to the SAPS by either downloading the MySAPSApp or by calling the SAPS Crime Stop number 086-00-10111. Callers may remain anonymous and all information would be treated with strictest confidence, Mojapelo said.