UPDATE | WATCH: Community throngs around cash van blown up in heist

Police are currently investigating the cash-in-transit heist that took place in Karen Park, north of Pretoria on Saturday morning, Pretoria North Rekord reports.

Police spokesperson Captain Kay Makhubele said a case of robbery was opened.

READ MORE: SBV vehicle hit in CIT heist near University of Mpumalanga

The Citizen reported on a video sent to Jacaranda News by a Pretoria resident in Karen Park earlier today, which shows scenes of chaos following a cash van in flames following an alleged heist.

The police were on the scene on Saturday morning.

An unknown number of criminals escaped after the cash-in-transit heist in the north of Pretoria.

Fidelity Security Group cash solutions executive Arthur Gibson confirmed that none of his staff sustained serious injuries.

“At this point we are still reviewing footage and interviewing our officers to try and establish all the facts,” he said.

“We are also working closely with the local police.”

Details were sketchy earlier this morning, but according to crime activist from the north of Pretoria Crystal van den Berg, the incident occurred at around 8.30am on Saturday.

“The criminals escaped and the amount of money taken was still unknown at this stage,” she said.

She urged residents to stay on the lookout for a silver Toyota Yaris and an Audi S3, colour unknown.

Picture: Facebook

Jacaranda News reported that their eyewitness told them: “I was driving to gym, and we heard loud shots. We were shocked and didn’t know what was happening. I made a U-turn towards the scene and we found three guards lying on the left side of the Fidelity truck. The truck was on fire.

“I have been staying here for two years and this is the first time something like this happened. People are shaken and we are still in disbelief.”

One commenter on Twitter speculated whether the crowd was “rushing for cash while the security van was burning … or were they just checking whether there were leftovers”.

Gibson said there had been an unacceptable escalation in the number of cash-in-transit incidents over the last number of months and expressed concern about the firearms and explosives being used in these attacks.

“We are definitely advocating a stronger partnership approach between all stakeholders to help make the transport of money safer and to avoid the senseless loss of life in many cases,” he said.

“We are also pushing for better crime intelligence to help identify the syndicates responsible for many of these incidents.”

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