GEORGE NEWS - According to a leading Knysna security company there has been a significant increase in crime over the past five days, four of which were brazen attacks on cyclists and a pedestrian.
The company in a statement on Tuesday said the first attack took place on a footpath near the circle below Eastford Glen on Friday 22 January. A woman was robbed of her cellphone by an unknown male and suffered a deep knife wound to the hand.
The second attack was on two cyclists using the dirt road behind Akkerkloof Dam towards the Uniondale road. One of the cyclists was struck on the head and his bicycle stolen.
The victims managed to get help from a motorist who phoned Allsound Security, who in turn contacted the police. The area was thoroughly searched. Knysna Police Crime Prevention Unit recovered the bicycle. The case is being investigated.
The third attack took place at the top of Marlin Drive in Fisher Haven. A single cyclist was attacked and also struck on the head before his assailants fled towards Hornlee. One suspect was arrested and the bicycle recovered.
The fourth incident occurred on Tuesday morning, 26 January, near the Concordia dumpsite. The victim was part of a group of three cyclists, with the other two riding ahead of him. He reported that four men armed with pangas came out of the bush and tried to rob him of his cellphone. He managed to get away unharmed and nothing was stolen.
"The four incidents do not appear to be linked and [there is] nothing to suggest that it is the same attackers," reads the statement from the security company. "But we would like to urge Knysna residents to be cautious of routes chosen for cycling and where possible, to cycle in large groups and stay together.
"Thank you to members of the public who stopped to assist the victims and also to community members who came forward with information which could be passed on to the police."
By the time of going to print the police had not yet confirmed all the attacks having taken place.
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