Three armed robbers thought they had hit the jackpot on Thursday [May 7] when they attempted to steal cartons of cigarettes, two cell phones, cash and a watch worth tens of thousands of rands from a Cape Town CBD convenience store.
Their luck quickly ran out when they were nabbed by Cape Town Central City Improvement District’s (CCID) Public Safety Officers and arrested by SAPS.
The robbery took place at Friend’s Café on the corner of Castle and Long streets. The three perpetrators quickly entered the store and held up the shopkeeper at knifepoint before making their getaway with the stolen goods.
Minutes after being alerted to the robbery, CCID Public Safety Officers (PSO) gave chase and managed to catch two of the three suspects while also recovering the stolen items. CCID PSO’s then called for assistance from SAPS, who arrived on the scene and cordoned off the area.
CCID manager of Safety & Security Mo Hendrick had this to say about the incident, “It was a fantastic arrest. I’m proud of the diligence of the CCID PSOs in protecting people in the CBD as well as possessions especially during this period.
The SAPS also deserves high praise, especially Captain Richard Lourens, as the crime scene was cordoned off within minutes of the police being alerted by our PSOs to the incident,” he added.
In a separate incident also relating to the possession of cigarettes, Metro officers were patrolling the Bellville area last night [May 7] when they noticed a suspicious gathering behind a white delivery vehicle on Durban Road.
When they stopped to investigate further, the group of people quickly scattered into nearby premises. Officers found 15 boxes of Richman cigarettes in the back of the vehicle, valued at an eye-watering R750 000.
When the offices proceeded to question those loitering outside the vehicle, none of the persons wanted to claim ownership of the cigarettes or the vehicle. This resulted in the officers confiscating the cigarettes and booking them in at Bellville SAPS as ‘abandoned’.
Picture: Supplied
