Carlo Petersen
STAFF at a Plettenberg Bay store were held up at gunpoint yesterday when three armed men entered the shop, pretending to be customers.
One of the men has since been arrested but the two others made off with an undisclosed amount of money as well as R30 000 in stolen goods. The shop, Ocean Blue Adventures, offers marine tours and whale watching activities but also sells clothing.
The three “well-dressed men” entered the store at 6.45am, enquiring about the prices of clothing items, said police spokesman Malcolm Potje.
“One of these suspects approached the manager, who was behind the counter, and pulled out a firearm and pointed it at him,” he said.
“He then ordered the victim to lie down on the floor and took an undisclosed amount of cash from the till. He also took the manager’s cellphone. The accomplices then stole cellphones from two shop assistants and made off with clothing, electronic equipment and a laptop.”
Pojie said the suspects fled in a white Volkswagen Golf and were pursued by a security patrol car and a crime prevention unit.
The car chase ended at Bossiesgif informal settlement,
where one of the suspects, a 33-year-old man, was arrested.
“Most of the stolen items with an estimated value of almost R30 000 was recovered on the scene as the suspects, in their haste to get away, left behind some of their loot,” said Pojie, adding that not all of the money had been recovered.
The man is expected to appear in the Plettenberg Magistrate’s Court tomorrow.
Meanwhile, malls in Cape Town are beefing up security measures after a spate of robberies. Blue Route Mall was hit after four men held up staff and customers at the Altech Autopage store before making off with 150 phones worth R600 000 on Saturday, September 27.
Somerset Mall, where a jewellery store was robbed by seven men, has since partnered with a number of communities and local authorities in and around Somerset West.