Cape Town - The three suspects accused of robbing unsuspecting gay men using the Grindr online dating platform will spend the December holidays behind bars.
Mlungisi Vincent Mbutu, Bongani Zulu and Zwelakhe Ngwenya appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Monday, where they were expected to apply for bail.
They indicated they wanted to apply for bail, but the process was halted due to their facing of similar charges in Gauteng.
The trio is accused of kidnapping, extortion, robbery with aggravating circumstances and cyber crimes.
They were arrested in Woodstock at a rental home on June 14, with a hostage tied up.
They were traced when the Hawks noted strange transactions in the victim’s bank account.
After their arrest, more victims came forward, alleging the trio also lured them using the Grindr dating app, before kidnapping, assaulting and robbing them.
They have six charges against them, while the results of a seventh identity parade were negative.
The six cases are: one in Woodstock, three in the CBD including Camps Bay, one in Durbanville, and one in Brackenfell.
It was discovered that their crimes date back to 2023 when a man chatted with the accused who are originally from Gauteng via Grindr.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, said of the Woodstock incident: “The victim and the accused were chatting on the app and he was invited to a hotel where he was kidnapped and tied. They withdrew R100 000 from his bank account. That is the modus operandi. We expect that once the media are able to show their faces, more victims will come (forward), if there are more.”
Zulu and Ngwenya are the only accused in the Durbanville matter.
The State said the investigation is still open and they expect more charges to be added against the accused as victims come forward. The accused remain in custody and will appear on January 20 for bail application.