Visitors to Eastern Cape cemeteries warned to be vigilant against criminals

Cape Town – Police in the Eastern Cape have urged those visiting grave sites to be extra cautious and vigilant after a notable increase in robberies in the province.

The warning comes after an increase in robberies at the Forest Hills cemetery in Humewood on the outskirts of Gqeberha, provincial police spokeswoman Colonel Priscilla Naidu said in a statement.

Since April, there have been at least five instances reported at the cemetery where criminals threatened their victims with knives before robbing them of their personal belongings, she said.

In some cases, robbers have demanded car keys from victims in order to steal whatever they could find inside the vehicles.

The robberies happen at all hours of the day and the suspects allegedly operate in groups of between four and eight individuals.

“Mourners are advised not to visit grave sites alone. The area is quiet and the robbers lie in wait for their victims. There is also a thoroughfare through the cemetery which is often used by pedestrians and joggers,” Naidu said.

“Visitors are also advised not to wear expensive jewellery and carry valuable items on their visits.”

She urged anyone visiting a grave site who might see suspicious people approaching them to retreat hastily or attract attention from others within the immediate vicinity.

Naidu said criminals had no boundaries and in most cases targeted the vulnerable, seeing them as “easy targets”.

African News Agency (ANA)