A store manager and his colleagues were held at gunpoint in a clothing store at a shopping centre in Brighton Beach when an armed man accosted them on Monday morning, 15 February.
The suspect instructed the manager to open the safe. According to police, he took an undisclosed amount of cash, cellphones and walked out.
Brighton Beach police together with security guards who were in the vicinity were immediately alerted and an operation was put in place to trace the suspect involved. The team spotted a man fitting the suspect’s description and searched him. He was found in possession of cash stolen from the shop and a toy gun used to commit the offence.
The 27-year-old suspect was arrested and charged for robbery and is expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court tomorrow. The investigation revealed that the suspect is employed by the same store but in another branch.
In another incident Brighton Beach police, arrested two suspects aged 18 and 26 for robbery. They will appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court tomorrow. The complainant alleged that yesterday (Monday, 15 February) at 12.30pm, he was at his shop on Tara Road in Wentworth when three men who posed as customers approached him.
They requested for the complainant to repair their cellphones and the complainant asked for payment. One of suspects withdrew his firearm, stole cellphones and fled the scene on foot. Police were informed and the suspects were arrested not far from the crime scene. The third suspect managed to flee the scene with the firearm and police are still searching for him. The arrested suspects were found in possession of the stolen cellphones.
The Acting KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Major General Thulani Gonya welcomed the arrest of the suspects. “The suspects thought they could get away with breaking the law not knowing the police were out in full force conducting crime prevention duties. We appreciate the commitment shown by various security companies in fighting crime in the province,” he said.
