An elderly man was tied up and beaten and his wife and two young daughters raped during a robbery at their home in Muldersdrift, north of Johannesburg, over the weekend.
According to police spokesperson Constable Boitumelo Sehloho, three men, two of them armed with handguns, forced their way into the house on Saturday night, ordered the 73-year-old man to lie down and tied his hands and legs.
“They demanded money and, when they could not find it, they assaulted him, searched him and took his cellphone. The suspects took the victim’s wife, 46, and his daughters, aged 15 and 11, to another room and raped them,” said Sehloho.
Sehloho said the suspects are aged between 21 and 35 and are still at large.
He added that a group of armed men has been terrorising residents of Muldersdrift and surrounding areas, with incidents also reported in Zwartkop, Nooitgedacht and Beyers Naudé.
“These crimes are committed by three to six suspects armed with handguns. In all reported incidents, the suspects forcefully gained entry into victims’ homes. In some house robberies, victims were sexually assaulted.
Tighten home security
“Members of the community are urged to be vigilant and tighten their home security before and not after the fact and to be alert in their homes between 19:00 and 04:00 and also to report any suspicious movement,” Sehloho said.
Muldersdrift station commander Lieutenant Colonel Mankontsho Setlhare has condemned the actions of the attackers.
Setlhare has called on the community to report crime in their surroundings to the police.
“We also urge the community to assist the police with information of people buying stolen goods and those who are committing these crimes. Together we can fight crime and make sure our country is safe.
“We will not rest. We will continue doing crime prevention, stop and search operations and ensure that those who are against the law are brought to book and face the full might of the law,” said Setlhare.
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