Businesses robbed for the second time – ‘criminals rob intending to obtain cash,’ says Witbank SAPS station commander
They were armed with a firearm and a hammer.
Two various businesses in eMalahleni have been robbed for the second time and an undisclosed amount of money was taken from both shops.
The most recent robbery occurred on Tuesday, March 22 at the petrol station in Walter Sisulu Street. It’s the second time this month that this petrol station has been robbed.
The cashier alleged that she was on duty when two unknown men walked into the shop and pointed a gun at her.
They demanded that she hands over the money, they then assaulted her.
The suspects then ran away from the scene with an undisclosed amount of money.
At the same petrol station, the previous robbery occurred on Tuesday, March 15 when two men walked into the shop dressed in red and white clothing.
They were armed with a firearm and a hammer.
The suspects took what money was in the till, before leaving the shop.
The second business robbery occurred on Monday, March 21 at Highland Mews when a clothing shop was robbed again.
This shop was robbed last year and the suspects got away with various cell phones and cash.
On Monday the cashier alleged that she was on duty inside the clothing store when two men came into the shop and told her that they want to work, so she must cooperate.
That is when they withdrew their firearms and instructed the staff members to go to the storeroom and demanded that they all hand over their cell phones.
During this time there were seven customers inside the store; the suspects never took anything from them.
After an increase in the number of business robberies in eMalahleni the Witbank Police would like to request all business owners to implement the following measures to prevent them from being robbed:
* Limit the amount of cash held on the premises and publicizes this fact.
* A float should be kept to a minimum and stored securely.
* Cash registers should be positioned in such a way that the cash cannot be seen by customers.
* Cash should be counted away from customers and stored safely before banking.
* Ensure cash is not left on the premises overnight.
* Safes should be fitted with time delay locks and secured permanently to the wall or floor.
* Safe keys and combinations should be stored securely.
* Consider using a professional cash-carrying service.
“Most of the business robberies in eMalahleni are showing a clear pattern that criminals rob intending to obtain cash,” said the Station Commander of Witbank Police Station Brigadier Moses Bolten.
READ MORE:
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Man wounded by suspects during house robbery
Business finances strained after robbery
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