Durban - In a scene out of what can only be described as a wild west movie, a gang of heavily armed men stormed into a Durban shopping centre and made off with jewellery valued at hundreds of thousands of rands.
A source, who attended the crime scene, said when they arrived at the Atrium shopping centre in Durban's Berea on Thursday afternoon, they were shocked at the brute force that the gang used to enter the mall.
"We were told that at least six heavily armed men fired their way through the mall as they walked towards the jewellery store. They shot down the door, walked inside and helped themselves to whatever they wanted. The men grabbed rings, watches and other jewellery and shoved them into bags before storming out," he said.
The source said as the men fled, they continued to fire while they got into a white VW Polo.
"The car was found a few minutes later in Fyfe Road, Berea, but there was no sign of the jewellery or the suspects. It is insane how the gang continued to fire shots as they left, in full view of the public, and no one was hurt or worse, killed," he said.
Police spokesperson, Colonel Thembeka Mbele, confirmed that the robbery took place before 2pm on Thursday.
She said the gang held the staff at the jewellery store up at gunpoint while they ransacked the store.
"A case of business robbery is being investigated by Berea SAPS," Colonel Mbele said.