Three Alex men aged 22, 23 and 35 respectively were denied bail by the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court for a house robbery they admitted to committing after they were found in possession of stolen goods including a firearm.
They committed the crime while driving in a suspected stolen motor vehicle. Their case was postponed to enable them to engage legal representatives and for respective parties to further investigate the case.
The court heard that the accused were apprehended by police on patrol in Marlboro within an hour of committing the crime at a Glen Austin home in Midrand at 11.30am on 1 April.
Two of them, driving a silver VW Polo, with KwaZulu-Natal number plates, entered the property and were stopped by a surprised worker who asked for their identity and what they wanted.
The accused said they were looking for the property owner and mentioned a name which the worker said was not the name of the property owner. One of the accused then asked for water and when the worker turned around to direct him to a tap, one of the accused allegedly grabbed the worker tightly around the neck from behind.
The accused then pushed him into the house where they met the property owner’s wife being led down the stairs by another armed man who turned out to be part of the gang.
The victims were forced to lie on the floor before the suspects ransacked the house.
A TV set, jewellery, a firearm, an iPad, a laptop and a duvet were stolen. The accused used the duvet to cover the items before driving away.
At 12.40pm police on patrol stopped the gang in the vehicle after it skipped a red robot on the corner of Florence Maphosho Avenue and 8th Street in Marlboro. Police searched the vehicle and found the stolen goods including the firearm.
One of the accused was found in possession of a second gun with its serial number filed off and loaded with six bullets. The men were arrested and admitted that the goods and the second gun were stolen from the Glen Austin home.
Police checked the first gun which led them to the house where the woman and the worker identified the goods and the robbers.
The vehicle’s chassis number was found to have been tampered with and was taken to the police pound pending an investigation.
