A smooth-talking “love rat” who stole thousands of rands from an unsuspecting Pietermaritzburg woman was arrested after she spotted him in town and alerted police. 

The Ugandan national was arrested last Friday after two years of evading police.

The 32-year-old man vanished without a trace two years ago with R180 000, leaving the woman, who is employed by the Education Department, destitute.

Last Friday, when the woman was in the CBD near Chief Albert Luthuli Street, she spotted the man and immediately contacted the police.

A police source said the man had allegedly lured the woman into a relationship after they met at a local mall, before persuading her to withdraw some of her life savings.

In six months, the woman had withdrawn a total of R180 000 and handed it to the man. At that point he cut contact with her, changing his contact numbers.

“She [victim] had lost all hope and thought that he had gone back to Uganda with her money.

“The woman was shocked when she spotted him in one of the parking lots in the CBD,” said the source.

The police source said he believes that the man is part of a syndicate operating in Pietermaritzburg, who use similar methods to lure women, mostly government employees, and solicit cash payments.

The man is expected appear in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court this week facing a charge of fraud.

In April, The Witness reported that at least three Pietermaritzburg women had fallen prey to smooth-talking men, who stole their life’s savings before disappearing without a trace.