Indian woman, 46, arrested for drugging and robbing elderly people

A 46-year-old woman suspected of drugging and robbing elderly pensioners has been arresred in Tongaat, KZN.

The arrest came after members of Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) responded to a call at Pensioners Cottage on Plein Street. The suspect had arrived to meet with a local councilor regarding subsidised housing, but residents recognised her as a con artist who had previously robbed one of them.

Upon investigation, Reaction Officers also linked the woman to a robbery that occurred on Moss Street in Verulam.

In that incident, two women befriended a 67-year-old pensioner at Verulam Market and persuaded her to take them home where they found the victim’s 73-year-old husband.

Once there, they claimed to possess ashes with healing powers, which they mixed with water and convinced the elderly couple to consume.

The victims lost consciousness, and hours later, family members found them unresponsive, with the husband sustaining injuries.

During interrogation, the suspect admitted to targeting multiple pensioners in the Ethekwini Region, revealing that her accomplice, employed at a call center, would obtain contact details and identification numbers of potential victims.

They would then contact the victims, convincing them to meet, before drugging and robbing them. The suspect was arrested and detained by SAPS Verulam.

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