DURBAN - Four four men arrested on Musgrave Road on Monday were not part of the notorious hammer gangs responsible for looting stores in malls around Durban as were initially believed when police swooped on them.
They were allegedly car thieves from Umlazi and KwaMakhuta, according to police.
Various Neighbourhood Watch organisations were on the alert for suspicious cars around malls after more than 25 break-ins around the city.
The Musgrave Neighbourhood Watch alerted police to a group of men in a silver Polo parked near Musgrave shopping centre on Monday.
Berea police pounced and arrested the men in possession of car-breaking equipment and gloves, hats and tools.
The car they were driving was also stolen and had false number plates.
Police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said that a Musgrave Shopping Centre security guard was held up by 11 armed men on Sunday night.
The suspects, dubbed the Hammer Gang, smashed the window of a Telkom store on the lower level and took cellphones and accessories before fleeing the scene.
No shots were fired and the gang is still at large. A case of business robbery was opened at Berea police station.