Cape Town - Astonishing footage of a pharmacy robbery in Ottery shows just how brazen robbers in Cape Town have become, asking for medication used for heroin withdrawal before whipping out guns and terrorising staff.
The pharmacy owner suspects the same criminal crew are responsible for a hit caught on camera the following night at Busy Corner in Grassy Park. Meanwhile, yet another nearby shop was cleaned out in Wetton on Tuesday night.
Jafmed Pharmacy usually stays open until 10pm, because the evenings are the busiest, with customers pouring in. On Saturday night, 20 minutes before closing, three young men came in asking for medicine.
Owner Abdullah Jaffar was there.
“They asked about Methadone,” he said. “It’s used to get off heroin. I informed them they needed a prescription for that.
“They started getting rowdy in the front, and the security asked them to quieten down or move on.
“One guy pulled out a gun and pointed it at the security guard. One guy jumped over the counter and pulled out the entire cash drawer. They had a vehicle parked across the road waiting for them to jump in.”
Police confirmed the robbery. Spokesman Captain FC van Wyk said the robbers fled the scene in a white VW Golf with blue stripes on the side and no registration plates.
It was by far the most serious attack they had experienced after eight years of doing business in the area, Jaffar said.
“We’ve had guys (rowdy men) come in here before, but it was the first time it’s been this serious,” Jaffar said.
Other businesses in the area had also been targeted recently, including a hit in Lansdowne a few weeks ago and in nearby Wetton on Tuesday night.
The owner of the Wetton superette on Old Strandfontein Road is a friend and customer of Jaffar’s.
Police said four armed suspects entered the shop, threatened the cashier, and made off with cash in a white Ford Figo.
“It’s getting out of hand,” Jaffar said. “Its becoming a problem.”
He said his customers understood the climate of crime, and work around it.
“We haven’t had a drop in trade, but definitely in the evening trade - people are coming in earlier during the day instead. It used to be the busiest time at night.”
Jaffar said he had an armed response company guarding the premises, and has beefed up security, but if criminals are determined, then not much can stop them.
“I thought about closing early, at 8pm, but then they’ll just come at 7.30pm. What can we do?”
Even the community was frightened and subdued by the attacks in the area, Jaffar said.
“People are fearful. People don’t come out at night anymore.”
Police have not yet confirmed the business robbery in Grassy Park, but Jaffar said it was caught on CCTV cameras - and he is certain it was the same men that robbed his pharmacy.
All the footage has been handed over to the Crime Intelligence Unit. No arrests have been made.
Cape Argus