A sacred mangalsutra marital chain, that was sentimental to a Merebank grandmother, was allegedly stolen by her granddaughter's boyfriend and pawned for R14 000. The man had claimed he wanted to buy "something similar" for his girlfriend for Valentine's Day.
According to Dhevan Govindasamy, the tactical manager at PT Alarms, the incident happened on Friday.
"It is believed an elderly grandmother was robbed of her highly valuable 'old gold' chain known as a mangalsutra. The perpetrator is alleged to be the victim's granddaughter's boyfriend," said Govindasamy.
"The grandmother alleged her granddaughter's boyfriend requested to see the chain as he wanted to purchase something similar for his girlfriend for Valentine's Day.
"She said her granddaughter always voiced that she loved that particular chain. When the grandmother handed the chain to the granddaughter's boyfriend to view and take pictures, he did so and then fled with the chain. The elderly victim, who is frail with aches and pains, could not get to the suspect in time."
She reported the incident to family members and a case of theft was opened at Wentworth SAPS.
Govindasamy said he followed various leads, which led him to the suspect's accomplice.
"The man allegedly met a group of friends after the theft. One of them accompanied him to a pawn shop on the Bluff. The accomplice produced his ID and sold the chain. He was paid R1 400 in cash and the remaining money was deposited into a second accomplice's bank account."
Govindasamy said the first accomplice thereafter accompanied him and the investigator to the pawn shop.
"The pawn shop owner confirmed the chain was purchased by him with a cash amount handed to the suspects and the rest of the cash deposited into their account."
He said the black beads from the mangalsutra were removed and given to the first accomplice.
"The gold chain, which remained intact, was handed to the police and will now go into evidence."
Govindasamy said the grandmother was devastated that her wedding chain from her husband had been damaged.
"The accomplice, who accepted R1 400 at the pawn shop, was handed over to the police. An intense search is underway for the elusive main suspect, the alleged boyfriend."
Shamlin Govender, the chairperson of the Merebank Community Policing Forum (CPF), said: “The community of Merebank comprises a significant number of elderly people. It is concerning to know that they are easy targets for crime in their golden years. We would like to thank and commend Dhevan on the phenomenal work he has done in assisting the victim.
“We encourage all residents to join our CPF WhatsApp group to report crime as we have the necessary law enforcement departments, CPF members and security companies, who are readily available to assist in the group.”