VANDERBIJLPARK – A group of heavily armed men stormed a filling station, bombed a safe, and made off with an undisclosed amount of money in Bophelong on Monday, December 11.
According to a worker at filling station [name withheld] a group of about 8 men reportedly armed with assault rifles robbed the filling station in the early hours.
“We were on duty when about 8 stormed the garage and started randomly shooting. The suspects entered the shop pointing a firearm at a cashier, two petrol attendants, and a security guard with firearms before demanding us to lie on the ground,” he said.
“The armed men asked a cashier to take them to the drop safe. Upon their return with the cashier, they emptied the two cash registers and took cigarettes,” he said.
The worker told Ster moments after the gang emptied the cash tills, a huge explosion ensued as robbers blew the drop safe.
“They took the money in the safe after blowing and fled the scene. We remained on the ground as we feared for our lives. This was the second incident that occurred at the garage and we are glad that no one was injured,” he added.
When the group evaded the scene, they met officers on patrol, who exchanged fire with the armed men.
A police officer close to the investigation said “The gang ran into the shacks in Joko Tea while they shot randomly at the police van.”
At the time of publishing this story, police had not responded to inquires on the robbery.
