Armed robbery ends in tragedy

20 september 2015 A 70 year old man was shot in the head after a botcvhed armed robbery at Ottery Chinatown this afternoon. PICTURE LEON kNIPE. FEEBEARING

20 september 2015 A 70 year old man was shot in the head after a botcvhed armed robbery at Ottery Chinatown this afternoon. PICTURE LEON kNIPE. FEEBEARING

Published Sep 21, 2015

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Cape Town - A business owner was shot dead during a robbery at China Town in Ottery on Sunday before the four robbers made off with a car they hijacked at gunpoint.

The robbery comes just days after Trigg Jewellers in Cavendish Square was robbed of “exclusive watches” by armed suspects. Police could not reveal what had been stolen in yesterday’s incident.

Sources said the business owner, 73, was shot in the head and neck after the four suspects stormed the shopping complex. Robert Daniels of Emergency Medical Services said that the businessman was declared dead on the scene, and his body was taken to Salt River mortuary. He has yet to be identified.

Police spokeswoman Noloyiso Rwexana said the robbery took place at about 3pm.

“According to information, four unidentified suspects robbed a shop, and shot and fatally wounded the owner,” she said.

Police are investigating a case of murder, business robbery and hijacking. No arrests have been made.

A witness said shots just missed a family shopping for a bicycle for their child. The bullet was still apparently lodged in the bicycle.

The witnesses reported that the robbers then escaped by jumping over an electric fence that was not activated at the time.

A Pakistani man was then hijacked at gunpoint as the robbers made good their escape.

Balowar Hossain, the driver of the hijacked white Opel Corsa bakkie, said he was on his way to purchase some goods at the centre in time for the Muslim religious holiday, Eid-ul-Adha, later this week.

He was threatened with a gun and ordered out of his vehicle.

The 36-year-old said he was driving towards China Town when he saw a man lying in the middle of the road.

“I stopped the car because I thought it was an accident. There was a man in the road, almost under my tyre. I was shocked, I thought I had killed him,” he said.

It was then that another man approached him. Hossain had been distracted by the man lying in the road.

“The next thing I was staring down a gun barrel.

“I froze. They said I must get out of my vehicle, and I did. They just drove off with my bakkie,” he said.

Hossain then made his way to China Town, a few metres away from where he was hijacked. “When I got there, I saw ambulances and police. I also saw a dead man who was shot in the head,” he said.

Cape Argus

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