Durban – Following hot on the heels of a brazen robbery at Osiniq Jewels in the early hours of Sunday morning, the notorious “hammer gang” struck again.
This time, five men, armed with crow bars and hammers, made off with branded watches from Cajee, a jewellery store in Gateway on Monday night.
A police source said a security guard was patrolling at one of the ground-floor entrances to the mall, when he was approached by two armed suspects.
“A third suspect joined the first two men and he was armed with a knife. He told the security guard to lie down on the floor. The guard was told not to pick his head up from the floor or else he would be shot,” the source said.
The guard was robbed of his cellphone, wallet and two-way radio. While he lay on the floor, under a table, the suspects made their way to the Cajee store.
“One of the suspects was armed with a crow bar and managed to break through the bottom latch on the door. He kicked open the door and his accomplices entered the shop.”
Using a hammer, the men smashed the glass at the jewellery store and stole more than 20 watches. They calmly walked out of the mall and sped off in a silver-grey Toyota Corolla.
A second guard walked through the area just minutes after the robbery and found his colleague.
Police said no shots were fired and no one was injured during the robbery.
The owner of Cajee, who declined to be named, expressed her dismay.
“This was an unfortunate incident that happened at the store. The men only took branded watches, specifically new watches,” she said.
“We are not sure of the total value of items taken as yet. I am still to meet with my insurance company to go through the finer details.”
Michelle Shelley, Gateway marketing manager, said the matter was under police investigation.
She thanked security for their quick response to the incident.
Lieutenant Colonel Thulani Zwane said police were investigating a case of business robbery.
The theft happened less than 24 hours after a gang of hammer-wielding men stormed the high-end Osiniq Jewels shop at the Hilton Hotel in Durban.
A gang of at least seven men allegedly entered the hotel lobby armed with hammers and a crow bar. The men held up the security guard and smashed the shop window.
They stole jewellery to the value of R20 million. The gang then fled in a silver-grey Mercedes Benz.
In 2004 a “hammer gang” terrorised communities across the city. During their high profile attacks, the gang used crow bars and hammers to break into premises.
Police declined to comment on whether this week’s incidents could be the work of a “new” hammer gang.
Speaking to the Daily News, Chris van Rensberg, chairperson of the Jewellery Council of South Africa, said that as long as there was no partnership between police and the judicial system, jewellery stores would continue to be a soft target for robbers.
“Another factor is the high demand on the black market. We believe the items stolen during these jewellery heists make their way into the hands of second-hand dealers,” he said.