uMhlanga shops robbed days apart
Gateway shops targeted by armed robbers in two separate incidents.
TWO shops at Gateway Theatre of Shopping were robbed just two days apart recently. According to Lt Raymond Deokaran, spokesman for the Durban North SAPS, one of the managers in the armed robberies was allegedly assaulted and tied up.
“The first incident occurred at a restaurant at about 10pm on 27 April. The store had closed for the night when two men, one armed with a firearm, entered the store and demanded money. The duo then fled on foot, presumably to a getaway vehicle parked outside the shopping mall.
“A day later, in the early hours of the morning, a manager at a shoe shop was held up by a knife-wielding man who began slapping her repeatedly. He then tied her hands behind her back using cable ties. He asked for the safe keys and was able to make off with the weekend’s takings,” he said.
In both cases, Deokaran said undisclosed amounts of cash were stolen. Police are still searching for the suspects and do not believe the incidents are linked, and no arrests have yet been made.
Akash Maharaj, Gateway Theatre of Shopping Centre Manager, said the the centre’s security investigation division, together with the SAPS, are investigating these unrelated incidents.
“As a result additional security measures have been put in place. Vehicle patrols of the Umhlanga Newtown Centre have been increased to ensure visible presence in the surrounding area,” he said.
