Durban - A steel gate with sharp spikes on its tips was no deterrent for a gang of brazen robbers in Morningside on Monday.
Lieutenant Colonel Thulani Zwane, a KwaZulu Natal police spokesperson said that the homeowner was in his Moonien Place home at 10.30 am when he was approached by four men. They had entered the house through an unlocked door.
"At gunpoint, the suspects took two TV's; cell phones and jewellery before fleeing the scene. A case of house robbery was opened at Mayville police station for investigation," Zwane said.
A one-minute video clip is taken from CCTV footage at the entrance to the house. It showed how the robbers had gotten into the property. The footage shows a group of men get off a car parked on the side of the road.
The house has a separate pedestrian and vehicle gate entrance. One person approaches the pedestrian gate casually with what appears to be a cloth. He then tries to open the gate with his hand. When this one attempt fails he bends down and has a look at something at the bottom of the gate.
He gets down on his hands and knees and inspects the bottom part of the gate. Two other men can be seen standing next to the car. The passenger doors of the car are open.
Three others get off the car and then approach the vehicle access gate. The three hold the gate and try to lift it up. After three attempts they fail.
One of them tries to break the lock of the vehicle gate but fails.
The focus not shifts back to the pedestrian gate. One of the men then approaches the pedestrian gate. He, again, gets down on his hands and knees and inspects the bottom.
He is accompanied by another robber. A third robber runs towards them with a bolt cutter. In one attempt he forces the gate open. The four men run in and a few seconds later are joined by a fifth person.
A steel gate with sharp spikes on its tips was no deterrent for a gang of brazen robbers in Morningside on Monday. Video: eThekwini Secure