Are the Laudium CPF Patrollers really patrolling the streets of Laudium to assist in crime fighting, or are they more of a ‘showoff group,’ posting photos of themselves and hoodwinking the community by pretending to be properly patrolling the area.
This is the question many residents are asking about the local CPF, under the command of ANC member, Shaheen Wahab, as crime continues in the area.
This follows yet another motor vehicle being stolen in Laudium, with four suspicious black males, driving freely into Laudium in a white Nissan Tida and stealing a car outside a Pearl Street home.
The theft of the vehicle, which occurred last Thursday afternoon (August 21), at around 3pm, resulted in the thieves making off with a grey Toyota Yaris (Reg No: XPP372GP), parked in front of the Hussain’s home on Pearl Street, Laudium.
Mahfuja Hussain of Pearl Street and the owner of the Toyota Yaris which was stolen, told the Laudium Sun, “On Thursday afternoon, I returned from Madressa and parked my car in front of my house at around 3pm. After a short while I went upstairs to my bedroom and that is when I noticed through the window, four Black African males, who arrived in a white Nissan Tida and parked in front of our house. At that time I was alone at home, as my
husband was at work. Suddenly, two of these thieves got out of their car and approached my car. It didn’t even take them a minute to open the car and start it. Two of them got into my car and drove away, with the other two thieves following them in the Nissan Tida. Everything happened right in front of my house. When I saw the two thieves getting into my car, I rushed downstairs and went outside but I couldn’t do anything, as I feared the thieves
might be armed. I panicked and screamed, asking them what were they doing in my car, but they just ignored me and even though they saw me, they still stole my car and drove away with it. Everything happened so fast that I couldn’t stop them. I then immediately called my husband Sazzad, and asked him to try to look for the thieves, as they might not have gone far. Since he works in Laudium, he immediately drove in the area to try to track them, but the thieves were too fast and got away. We reported the theft at the Laudium Police Station, but I don’t think the police will be able to recover the car. This is really heartbreaking for me, as I only had one car and I don’t know how I will go to Madressa or move around. The crime in Laudium is getting so bad that I don’t think we can survive here for long. Although we read about crime in Laudium in the Laudium Sun, I never thought that my own car would be stolen in broad daylight, just outside our home.”
Sazzad Hussain, the husband of Mahfuja, told the Laudium Sun, “I received a call from my wife and she was hysterical. She told me that our grey Toyota Yaris had been stolen right in front of our house. At first, I couldn’t believe it, but when she insisted that it really happened, I was completely shocked. I immediately drove around Laudium, as my wife mentioned that the thieves had gone in the direction of White Blocks. While driving near the Police Station, I actually saw my car with two Black African guys inside. They were driving very fast, so I couldn’t chase them. Instead, I rushed to the Laudium Police Station and reported that my car had just been stolen. Unfortunately, the police refused to give chase to catch the thieves. Instead, they insisted that I first give them a statement before they could act. It took about 30 minutes just to take my statement, even while my stolen car passed near the station. I begged them to act quickly, but the response was very slow and I received no real help from them. In the end, we lost our car and once again, the criminals got away. We humbly request that if anyone has seen our car, please contact us via the Laudium Sun.”
Hafiz Shahid, a resident of Pearl Street and neighbour of Sazzad, told the Laudium Sun, “I was so shocked when I heard that the four thieves just took the car away. Crime in Laudium is totally out of control. We don’t have real leaders here and Laudium has now become a gangster’s paradise. Where are all these patrollers that put pictures of themselves on social media, showing off how they are patrolling the streets of Laudium? How come they did not see these four black guys driving around the streets of Laudium?”
