Suspect targets elderly
Police in South Africa have re-arrested a 74-year-old woman on charges of robbery and attempted murder after she allegedly drugged and robbed another elderly woman at a Durban casino.
92-year-old grandmother she attempted to murder
Durban Regional Court in the province of Kwazulu-Natal initially charged local Hannah Naidoo in 2024 with stealing R337,000 ($18,144) worth of valuable items from a 92-year-old grandmother she attempted to murder.
Naidoo allegedly returned to the scene at Durban’s Suncoast Casino last month and attempted a similar crime on a 66-year-old woman.
The suspect was re-arrested on May 1 after allegedly spiking the victim’s coffee with an unknown substance before stealing R20,000 ($1,126).
Casino predator
State prosecutor Calvin Govender argued against releasing Naidoo on bail. Despite the suspect’s defense arguing their client needed urgent chemotherapy, Govender introduced two more charges from other victims, with Naidoo remaining in remand at Durban’s Westville Prison.
modus operandi was to identify elderly woman as prey
The prosecution alleges Naidoo’s modus operandi was to identify elderly women as prey and strike up a friendship. The suspect was able to approach her latest victim in May after posting R5,000 ($280) bail for her previous charge against the 92-year-old.
While the substance Naidoo allegedly spiked her May victim’s coffee with was not made public, it resulted in the woman needing hospital attention.
Naidoo allegedly drugged her 2024 victim’s milkshake with benzodiazepines, rendering her unconscious, after which she was “assaulted and robbed.”
Building trust
The casino predator allegedly groomed her victims, building trust. According to court documents, Naidoo befriended the 92-year-old a month before betraying the woman, who lived on her own.
cake and a spiked milkshake
Prosecutors stated that in March 2024 Naidoo and an unknown accomplice visited the lone woman at her Durban apartment, bringing cake and a spiked milkshake.
According to The Post, the elderly woman’s son and grandson found the victim unconscious on her bed two days after Naidoo fled with the stolen goods. The victim regained consciousness in the hospital four days after her relatives called for help.
