A Westville resident was gagged and tied up during a home invasion at the weekend and escaped the ordeal with minor injuries.
Brian Jackson, the Blue Security operations manager, said armed robbers entered a property in Chearsley Road in Westville at 2.24am on Friday.
“A gang of three men, two were armed with firearms and one had a knife, held up the resident and then gagged her and tied her up. Her daughter then tried to phone her during the robbery, but when she could not make contact she decided to drive to her mother’s house with a friend,” he said.
“When they arrived at the house, the gang then tied up the daughter and her friend before fleeing with a laptop, cellphone and cash. Paramedics attended the scene to treat the resident with minor injuries,” he said.
Jackson said in an earlier home invasion incident on Friday, a gang of unarmed men in a Silver Grey Mercedes with an NUR registration held up a domestic worker in James Herbert Road in Caversham Glen. The men locked the domestic worker in a bedroom and then ransacked the house. They fled with a pillowcase stuffed with valuables.
In a third armed robbery at 8pm on Saturday three robbers held up a resident in Whitcutt Road in Cowies Hill. “The gang jumped over the fence and held up the resident at gunpoint while he was busy opening his garage door, just after arriving home,” he said. “They threatened to shoot him if he screamed. They stole his house keys, business keys, cash and his Audi, Fortunately, no shots were fired and the resident was not injured,” he said.
At 7.30pm last Wednesday (10 December) four armed robbers held up a security guard at a business premises in Richmond Road. “The gang used a screwdriver to force open the front door of the premises. They fled with laptops and a computer,” he said.
Jackson urged residents and business owners to be vigilant when approaching their properties and to make sure there were no suspicious individuals lurking or hiding nearby or any unfamiliar vehicles parked in the street. “Always stop parallel to your property perimeter and check your surroundings before opening the gate, so that you can drive off quickly if necessary. Jackson advised residents and business owners not to carry large sums of cash as criminals were aware that many people were being paid bonuses and were on the lookout for opportunities.
