According to the source known by the Advertiser, the signs are used to let other criminals know whether a property is worth targeting.
“The marks, dubbed the “Da Pinci Code”, are made by would-be thieves to indicate if the house is vulnerable, revealing who is living in the house, and whether there is anything worth stealing,” says the source.
According to Capt Eben Pieters, from the Dawn Park Police Station, the station has not encountered these markings at any of their crime scenes.
“We cannot confirm that these markings are legit, but we advise people to be vigilant as there have been previous allegations of markings such as color codes by criminals on houses,” he says.
Spokesperson for the Boksburg North SAPS, Lieut Juanita Coetzer, says this may be true, but she cannot confirm that the coded chalk symbols are a new sign system used by criminals.
Coetzer says the most recent signage system observed by the Boksburg North SAPS was the placing of rocks at targeted houses for break-ins.
“Criminals would put rocks in front of the driveway of a targeted house after inspecting it, and monitor whether the residents are vigilant of their surroundings or not,” she adds.
She advises that if any community member sees any suspicious markings on their house, to call the police immediately.
