A HOUSE robbery resulted in the death of an elderly woman in Bellair on Wednesday, 27 April. According to the police, three armed men, two of whom were masked, entered the woman’s house where she was with her husband. “They held the husband down and took the lady into the house looking for a safe. They found the safe but did not get the combination,” said Belliar SAPS’ acting communications officer, W/O Prakash Kumar.
He said one of the men allegedly hit the woman on the head with a gun and they await a post-mortem to determine her cause of death. “We found the lady collapsed in her dining room. She died on the scene and at this point, we don’t know the cause of her death. The robbers managed to flee with a TV, the CCTV system and a car,” said W/O Kumar.
According to the police, house robberies are rife in the area around this time of the year as daylight hours are much shorter. Last year’s statistics from the Bellair police revealed that eight houses were robbed by someone who had entered through the front door.
Following the Freedom Day incident, Capt Jennifer Goosen and W/O Kumar caution residents of house break-in and robberies.
– Keep doors and gates always locked.
– Rather communicate through the window to someone you don’t know than going to the main gate.
– Lock your house when going to the clothes line and always be cautious that the line could be used to strangle you.
– Ensure verges are always keep short and that view obstruction is minimal.
– Get to know you dog’s bark – they tend to vary and could mean a range of things.
– Visibly number your house to ensure emergency services are able to find you sooner.
– Avoid leaving keys on either side of the door.
– Get to know your staff. Insist on having them checked by the police first before hiring.
– Keep writing material in your post box as to record number plates of suspicious cars.
– Form a cell phone-based relationship with your neighbours to easily alert each other in times of trouble.
