Crowbar Gang’s two-minute raid

"At one point one of the guys notices the camera, points it out to the other guy and destroys it," the homeowner said.

"At one point one of the guys notices the camera, points it out to the other guy and destroys it," the homeowner said.

Published Jul 31, 2015

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Cape Town - They struggled with the security gate for eight minutes before heaving it off its hinges. And once they were inside, took just two minutes to plunder the Pinelands home, stealing TVs, jewellery and ID documents. They escaped moments before the local security company arrived.

Footage captured by private CCTV cameras shows a pair of crowbar-style robbers at work in the upmarket neighbourhood.

The video was shared with the Cape Argus by the homeowner who, fearing the thieves might strike again, asked to remain anonymous.

He said the incident took place on Saturday night while he and his family were out.

In the footage, the thieves are shown parking in front of the house in a white Toyota Corolla. Two run towards the front door armed with crowbars while a third assailant remains in the getaway car.

“At one point one of the guys notices the camera, points it out to the other guy and destroys it,” the homeowner said on Thursday.

As the camera fell, it snapped an image of the robber’s face.

The so-called Crowbar Gang, now largely believed to be not just a single gang but multiple groups making use of the effective modus operandi of smashing open homes with their weapon of choice, has been terrorising neighbourhoods across Cape Town’s suburbs for the past four years.

They are typically efficient, with break-ins taking no more than two minutes.

However, the thieves in this footage struggled with the homeowner’s security gate for over eight minutes. Once they were inside, after using a rock to strengthen their leverage on the metal barrier, they scrambled around the house, grabbing anything valuable they could lay their hands on.

“They were big, tall guys, you can see in the footage as they take these huge strides carrying TVs and other stuff between the car and the house.”

They made at least two trips as they plundered the home.

After just two minutes, they were done, and had sped off in the white Toyota Corolla.

Shortly after a local security company and police arrived at the scene.

The break-in is just one of many that has hit Pinelands over the past few months. A member of the neighbourhood watch said there had been at least four other incidents last weekend.

On a Facebook group for the area, users reported that there had been even more crowbar-style robberies during the week.

Kendal Road Community Watch, a group keeping its eyes on the activities of the crowbar gang members, wrote on its Facebook page that there had been sightings of a Toyota Corolla in Pinelands shortly after another home was robbed on Wednesday.

The footage captured by this devastated homeowner's three cameras, who among the expensive electronics also lost his identity documents, gives a good window into the methods of this now notorious gang.

The homeowner said he was now living in fear.

“I now know exactly how these guys work and will make sure my home is fully secured if they try again.”

The video footage was handed over to the police.

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Cape Argus

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