Beware: children used in food extortion scheme targeting pensioners in Chatsworth

CHATSWORTH pensioners and good Samaritans have been warned not to give food to young children who are ‘begging’ in the community.

The children are alleged to have been “hired” by a syndicate who then attempt to extort money from unsuspecting residents by claiming the children had taken ill after eating the “poisoned or contaminated” food.

The latest victim was a 75 year old grandmother from Moorton, who did not want to be named for the fear of her safety.

She said she was alone at home when a group of children banged on her gate, as they usually do when they wanted food.

She said she treated the children like her own and always gave them something to eat and drink.

“Children are always coming to our door, even after 5pm. Last Wednesday, the group came and asked for food. It was around 3pm. They asked for buttered bread and not curry. I made sandwiches with butter and polony. I treated them like I would my own grandchildren.

“The youngest child was about five years old. At about 6pm, I heard people screaming at my gate. They said the child was sick from the food I had given them to eat. They were demanding money. I was scared and gave them R350. I had received my pension, so I had money with me. They took the money and left,” said the grandmother.

She said the following day, another group of adults arrived at her home with the same group of children.

“They demanded another R250. I was fearful and didn't know what else to do. I contacted a friend for help and as I was about to give them the money, when Sham Dhanpaul, the chairperson of the Moorton Community Policing Sub-Forum, responded to my call for help and came to my home. He asked them to leave. Fortunately, they never came back again.”

The grandmother said she was disturbed that the adults were using the children to extort money from elderly people and residents who were being kind to them.

“I always advise them on how to cross the road. Whenever they ask for juice, I indulge them. They come to my gate and hold their tummies and say that they are hungry. Are we going to say no to children? We do not have the heart to do that. But since this incident, I will think twice before being kind. People must be aware,” she added.

Aseefa Arumugam, 32, said the children often asked for more than what they could eat.

“They then leave the extra food and the things they did not like in the corner of the street. There are older children in the group who lead the charge and I believe they are coached by the syndicate. Another pensioner gave them R450. Older people are more vulnerable and need to be educated about this scam. We are going out and warning them about this,” she said.

Reggie Chetty, 58, said he believed that the adults saw the opportunity to extort money after Diwali, when the children were given food and sweetmeats in abundance by the residents.

“The adults exploit the children. A few months ago, we had to address the issue of the children pushing trolleys on the road, as they were being sent to buy beers for the adults from a nearby bottle store. It seems like they have found another way to use the children,” Chetty added.

Mergan Pillay, 49, said since the children were not attending school everyday, the frequency of them asking for food had increased

“In the past, we gave them food out of love. But we cannot do that anymore as there are criminal elements involved,” he said.

Dhanpaul said they had received numerous complaints from residents in Moorton, Arena Park, Montford and Crossmoor about similar incidents.

“When they are given food, they return the same afternoon with a group of adults, who claim that they are either relatives or neighbours of the children. They then accuse the residents of giving them contaminated or rotten food, which made them sick. They demand money to take the child to the doctor. Pensioners have been falling victim to this and have given them money from their grants,” said Dhanpaul.

He said as more cases were reported the acts of generosity from the community had dwindles.

“This has made the children angry and they throw stones at their homes and behave in an unruly fashion when their demands are not met,” he said.

“I had calls from several people who said that they gave the children anything from R150 to R300. One resident claimed the group went to their home three times and demanded R100 each time. Another elderly resident gave them R600 of her pension money. We appeal to residents to refrain from entertaining these children. A good deed will land us in trouble. Pensioners losing that kind of money is unacceptable. We are calling a meeting with some of the community leaders of areas we think the children live in, and we will address this with them,” he added.

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