LINDEN – The last thing the Geurtse family expected on 29 July was to be held up at gunpoint in their own home.
Jan Geurtse explained that four armed suspects entered his Linden property as his son was arriving home.
“My son pulled into the driveway at around 8.30pm and shouted for me to turn off the alarm. Not thinking anything of it, I turned off the alarm and went back inside. One of the suspects stopped the gate as it was closing.”
Before they knew it the suspects were in the house. Geurtse was escorted by one of the suspects to the bedroom, while his wife, son and mother-in-law were ordered to lie down on the dining room floor. “Once in the bedroom, the suspect demanded jewellery, money and weapons. He kept asking where’s the safe and only wanted the ‘good stuff’.” When Geurtse said he doesn’t have a safe, the suspect hit him on his head with a pistol and took him back to the dining room. Geurtse added, one of the suspects threatened to rape his wife and demanded that they all empty their wallets. The suspects also took three laptops and four I-phones.
The suspects then herded the family into the bedroom, closed the door and fled on foot. Geurtse described the suspect who seemed to be in charge, as well spoken and very calm. “He spoke perfect English and he received a phone call from someone he referred to as ‘Boss’. They all had something covering their faces, but I can remember one had a green bandanna covering his face. I also noticed their weapons looked very worn.”
The ordeal took only a few minutes, but for the Geurtse family it felt like days.
“There is a war out there and we all need to be vigilant. Rather reverse into your driveway and always keep your panic button close. I am usually very security conscious, but this time I did not follow my own advice.”
