Well-spoken 'conman' allegedly operating in northern Johannesburg in court for theft

23 January 2017 - 17:54 By Roxanne Henderson
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A young man who has allegedly been spotted in a number of residential complexes in northern Johannesburg suburbs‚ gaining entry by claiming to live there‚ has been nabbed for theft.

Angelo du Pont‚ 18‚ appeared briefly in the Hillbrow Magistrate's Court on Monday after his arrest last week.

He allegedly stole Craighall Park resident Alan Foley's cell phone‚ introducing himself to Foley as Lee.

“He's been doing the rounds in the area. In some cases he's done his homework. He gained access to our building by saying he was the son of a woman in one of the units and had the correct unit number and the woman's name‚” Foley told TMG Digital.

Du Pont allegedly took Foley's cell phone to contact his mother in the presence of a security guard. When the phone was in his hands he was out the building's front door and in a getaway car‚ Foley said.

Foley is not the only person who has been approached in the area by Du Pont‚ who he described as "extremely well-spoken". Others have posted on community groups that he has entered their complexes claiming to be a neighbour.

Du Pont‚ using the name Lee‚ has allegedly asked residents for assistance in the form of lifts‚ money and other items‚ which they willingly gave.

"He is very convincing. All the people who have come forward were conned and willingly gave him money‚" Foley said.

Du Pont last week approached this reporter as she entered the front door of her Craighall Park apartment late at night‚ asking for a glass of juice and a pair of flip-flops.

The otherwise neatly-dressed student was not wearing shoes and claimed to be locked out of his flat in the same building‚ where he lives with his mother. He also introduced himself as Lee and left after a few minutes in what he said was an Uber taxi.

According to Foley‚ Du Pont has also been seen in Hyde Park‚ Houghton and Bryanston.

He does not face any charges relating to any of these reports. It is not clear if the police are investigating the claims of other residents at this stage.

Du Pont's case was postponed to next week for his address to be verified.

The defence said it would make representations to the magistrate‚ with the hope of preventing Du Pont from being burdened with a criminal record.

Du Pont has not yet pleaded.

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