WATCH: Alleged phone thief drops his ID, flees after young Durban mom fights back

Durban - An alleged cellphone thief got more than he bargained for when he scaled a fence at a block of flats near the Durban beachfront and tried to snatch a cellphone belonging to a young mother.

What is clear from the CCTV footage of the event is that the mugger did not anticipate the woman fighting back and turning the tables on him.

The drama played itself out on Wedneday at the Barcelona block of flats near North Beach when the alleged thief jumped over the boundary fence of the flat and accosted two women who were with their children at the pool.

As he pounced on one of the women the thief grabs the phone from the table but she fights back and within seconds she has him on the back foot and running away.

In the process of him fleeing he drops a packet that contains his ID and court documents.

Raz Ali, the founder of Boss-Uip Security Specialists whose company is contracted to the Urban Improvement Precinct companies on the beachfront said that among the documents the thief dropped was correctional services parole papers.

“While it is not confirmed if it is indeed the same person who dropped the ID and documents, what we can tell is that he was out on parole for a similar crime,” he said.

Ali said his security company was driving out vagrancy and petty crime from the beachfront but these elements were now operating on the outskirts of where his security operates.

“Now that we have cleaned up the frontline of the beachfront they are looking for opportunities at the buildings at the back. It is very opportunistic as was the case here and an act of desperation,” he said.

Ali said that the thief managed to steal the woman’s cellphone before fleeing and warned other people not to take on criminals.

“It could have turned out very differently if that guy was armed with a knife or something,” he said.

“It is a proud moment for women but I wouldn't advise anyone to react in that way. It just goes to show the frustration levels in our society that we are constantly in a state of readiness to fight back if you look at how this woman reacted. Under normal circumstances, one would go cover their children and protect them but this shows how frustrated we are with crime,” Ali said.

A case of theft was being opened with Durban Central Police Station.

IOL

Wed, 24 Mar 2021 19:21:02 GMTIOL Reporter

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