Johannesburg - Joburg experienced two apparently well-planned cash heists on Thursday – an indication that the cash-in-transit robbery season is well and truly under way.
Five armed robbers held up staff at the Viva Cash & Carry in Booysens shortly after the shop had opened for business at 5.45am.
Two ATMS – one belonging to Standard Bank and the other to FNB, were bombed. The gang fled with an undisclosed sum in a white BMW 3 series.
No shots were fired.
At almost exactly the same time, three security guards were injured at OR Tambo International Airport when an armed gang robbed a cash-transporting bakkie of an undisclosed amount.
Provincial police spokes-man Tsekiso Mofokeng said the gang’s Mercedes-Benz collided with the bakkie, and they removed the canopy immediately to steal the money.
They fled in a white BMW X5, a white GTi Golf 6 and a Ford ST.
The hit in Booysens came barely two weeks after the station commander of the area beefed up his team with additional members to fight crime.
Brigadier Morgan Rangasamy had reinforced his team in the area in preparation for the festive season robbery spree.
Rangasamy told The Star that the Booysens robbers appeared to have been well prepared, evading the police by sheer luck.
He said a witness had come into the police station to report the incident, but a language barrier with one of the staffers had given the thugs time to slip away.
“By the time the officers got to the scene, it was already too late. The suspects were done and had left,” said Rangasamy.
“Remember, that area is quiet at around those hours. It is just before peak hour, so they knew what they were doing.
“During that time, we were changing shifts at the station – all the vehicles were inside. Parade was being conducted. They might have been aware of that too,” he said.
Viva is about two blocks away from the police station.
An eyewitness said the incident took less then 10 minutes.
“They weren’t afraid of anything. Their action (showed) that they were prepared. Even the guy who stood outside with a gun showed no fear. It is clear that they are used to doing such crimes. They knew what they were doing,” said the witness, who is also an employee at the shop.
He said one customer was slapped in the face by a thug when he tried to make a phone call during the robbery.
The Star has established that both the FNB and Standard ATMs that were bombed on Thursday had cash deposited in them late on Wednesday.
Rangasamy said it was fortunate that no one was shot.
“One crime is far too much, but we are committed that we will fight harder.
“Just (Wednesday) night, our officers arrested four suspects during a robbery at a local shop.
“We caught them red-handed and the goods were recovered,” he said.
“We are approaching the festive season.
“(Robbers) are all over now, but we will fight the crime,” he said.
Mofokeng said no arrests had been made.
The Star