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Photo uploaded to victims WhatsApp profile |
A robbery victim may get his items back after the thief uploaded a photo of himself to the victim’s social media profile.
This cellphone thief is now dubbed South Africa's dumbest criminal after he mistakenly uploaded a photograph of himself onto his victim’s WhatsApp profile.
Lohan Van Heerden, 20, of Gauteng, South Africa, is a second year actuarial science student at the University of Pretoria. He was jumped by a gang, and had his phone stolen amongst other valuables. When Van Heerden signed into his WhatsApp account he was shocked to discover that a photo of another man was on his profile. He immediately recognized the man as one of the men who robbed him.
One night, Van Heerden was heading home when four men came over to his car and put a knife to his throat. They stole his phone, jacket, belt, and money. The robbers also forced him to drive to an ATM to withdraw R1000 or about $100.00, before letting him go.
Van Heerden told police that when he saw the photo, he immediately recognized the man as the leader of the gang, and as the man who had assaulted and punched him in the face.
“The thief most probably wanted to upload this photo to his own account and when he opened the phone the victim's profile was already logged in, so he mistakenly sent it to the wrong profile. I hope they catch the thief before he robs other victims,” Antonio Tucker, 20, of Fargo, North Dakota, told YourJewishNews.com after learning about the incident.
Police are investigating the case.