Chances are you’ve heard about one of the ‘follow home’ heists that have grabbed headlines these past few months, and this weekend saw another incident take place.

A couple returning home from OR Tambo Airport on Saturday evening were the victims, robbed of luggage worth around R50 000 and $7 000 (R94 000) in cash.

The robbery took place in Centurion, on the corner of Rietvlei Dam Street and Delmas Road, when “five armed men in a silver Mercedes forced the couple to stop”.

That’s according to police spokesperson Captain Dave Miller, quoted below on Travller24:

Miller says the couple was not injured, but their cellphones were also stolen during the robbery.

Attempts to track the robbers via the cellphones by security forces responding to the situation “lead to Hammnaskraal” but the signal was eventually lost…

This latest weekend robbery comes as OR Tambo has warned travellers to be vigilant as alleged ‘spotter’ syndicates are being investigated across the various companies operating at the airport.

The spate of heists eventually caught the attention of Carte Blanche two weeks back – you can watch that segment HERE. If you’re pressed for time, here’s some what the show covered:

…the actuality programme interviewed an alleged spotter as he detailed how people working at the airport are helping criminals identify tourists, businessmen and even locals as they pass through OR Tambo International.

Not ideal.

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) says they are working hard, in conjunction with the SAPS, in order to weed out any guilty parties.

The same message comes from airport personnel:

Leigh Gunkel-Keuler, spokesperson for OR Tambo International Airport says, “We will not hesitate to take decisive action when we identify any person helping the criminals, irrespective of whether these spotters are employed by Airports Company South Africa or one of the many service providers operating at the airport.”

Let’s just hope that they can find and effectively prosecute those behind the heists, because it’s really not a good look when tourists (and locals) are being fleeced before they have even unpacked their bags.

[source:traveller24]