Johannesburg - A Serbian national was shot dead in his home in Bedfordview, east of Johannesburg, during a house robbery on Saturday, Gauteng police said.
Veselin Langanin, 54, was killed around 4am, Brigadier Neville Malila said.
Two robbers allegedly entered the man's home through an open window on the first floor of his house.
The robbers then woke the man's wife, told her to be quiet and removed her ring from her finger, which woke her husband.
"The suspects fired shots at him. The wife started screaming and ran out of the flat to call the security.
"The suspects took a firearm, cellphones and R1000 cash," Malila said.
Two firearms were found in a bag outside the home.
No arrests have yet been made.
Eyewitness News reported that Langanin was arrested for armed robbery last year with Czech businessman Radovan Krejcir.
However, Malila could not confirm that it was the same man.
When contacted by Sapa on Saturday morning, Krejcir said: "I'm not very well and I don't want to talk to media, goodbye."
Sapa