As the areas for thieves to steal seemingly get smaller and smaller in the Laudium and Erasmia area, due to the rapid increase of street gates being erected all over, it seems that those residents living outside the gated areas are becoming more vulnerable and easier targets for criminals.
*Nixon Nienna of 13th Ave said he saw the thief walking away with the bin and chased him, but the thief ran into the bushes on Cuprene Str.*
Theft especially petty theft, mostly believed to be committed by some of the nyaopes who freely walk the un-gated areas of Laudium and Erasmia, seems to be on the increase in these areas. This follows the theft of a dustbin from a home on 13th Ave, belonging to the Lalla family, this past Wednesday (Oct 16). It is believed that a known nyaope who freely walks on the streets, was responsible for the theft of the dustbin and other items, leaving the owners of the house distraught.
Caretaker at the Lalla residence, Abigail Moriwa told the Laudium Sun, “I work for the Lalla family as a caretaker for the elderly uncle, Uttam Lalla who is 89 years old. On Wednesday at around 12pm while we were sitting inside the house a thief whose face I saw and is between the age of 20 and 30 years came to the house and stole the dustbin that was outside the front yard. I think he took some garden tools also which he put inside the dustbin and then ran away with the bin.
Unfortunately there is no fence right in front of the yard. We don’t know why he chose to steal the rubbish bin from our place. He just came and stole the bin and ran away with it.
*A dustbin was stolen from this 13th Ave, Laudium home this past Wednesday morning (Oct 16).*
We don’t know what he is going to do with the bin and we are all very shocked that this thief could just walk in, despite it being broad daylight and just take the bin and run away. This is the first time something like this has happened to us. We were not expecting that out of all the things he would
steal the rubbish bin. It seems that these nyaopes are becoming desperate to steal anything that they can get their hands on. The crime situation has certainly changed in Laudium, with nowadays even rubbish bins being targeted by these thieves. The person who stole the rubbish bin looked like a drug addict because he was dirty, like one of these nyaopes one often sees on the streets of Laudium. After the crime happened my employers were traumatised because they are pensioners. They are not used to crime happening on their property. Crime is out of control in Laudium and what is frustrating is that there are security guards on our street, yet this thief managed to walk onto our property and walk away with the dustbin without being spotted or stopped by these guards,” Abigail said.
*The ‘nyaope’ who is accused of stealing the rubbish bin from the Lalla residence on 13th Ave, Laudium.*
Nearby neighbour, 69 year old Nixon Nienna also of 13th Ave, told the Laudium Sun, “As soon as the thief stole the bin, I saw him walking away and I chased him with my car, but he ran towards Cuprene Street and then into the bush where we could not see him.” When the Laudium Sun visited the Lalla home after hearing of the theft of the bin which occurred a few hours earlier, the caretaker noticed the same nyaope who she claimed she spotted on their property earlier, walking past the house again and pointed him out. When the Laudium Sun approached the nyaope, asking why he stole the bin, the nyaope denied stealing anything.
*Caretaker at the Lalla residence, Abigail Moriwa, said she doesn’t understand why the security guards in the area did not spot the nyaope walking off with their dustbin.*