Three men were arrested in Cape Town on Tuesday for allegedly tricking motorists into paying large sums of money on the pretext that their vehicles were defective.
Three men were arrested in Cape Town on Tuesday for allegedly tricking motorists into paying large sums of money on the pretext that their vehicles were defective.
reported that police arrested two men and a woman after complaints from 12 elderly women that the suspects had told them to pull off the road and warned them their tyres were in bad shape and would have to be replaced.
Police spokesman Nina Kirsten said the first woman had complained in August last year. All the women were driving alone when confronted by the suspects.
Kirsten told that the women were advised that their tyres were not safe and they would be in danger if they continued driving.
“The suspects claimed that they were the owners of a workshop and convinced the victims to make use of their services,” Kirsten said.
“The vehicles were then taken to a fictitious workshop and quotes ranging between R5 000 and R10 000 were presented to the victim, who was then convinced to draw the cash at a bank for the repairs,” said the spokesman.
Kirsten said all the cars had been taken to car washes in the area and then returned to their owners with no repairs to the vehicles.
Twelve cases had been registered by November. “Two suspects who allegedly worked at a business in Port Elizabeth were identified. The suspects, however, became aware that the police were looking for them and fled,” said Kirsten.
The suspects were arrested on Tuesday in Wynberg and are scheduled to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.