Kimberley - A Kimberley jewellery store was completely ransacked during a robbery early Monday morning.
M&E Jewellers, situated at the Spar Centre in Memorial Road, suffered losses of between R300 000 and R400 000 after three men broke open the store’s doors and “cleaned out” the shop’s content before fleeing.
According to the owner of M&E Jewellers, Rinus Weenink, the shop’s alarm went off at around 2.50am on Monday morning.
“After being alerted that the shop’s alarm had gone off, I drove from home to the shop and found the front doors wide open. Inside, the cupboards had all been broken open and cleared of stock, including watches and silver jewellery, that is not kept in the safe. We estimate the losses at around R300 000 to R400 000,” Weenink said on Monday.
According to Weenink, the three robbers, who were apparently armed, also robbed two security guards from the centre of their cellphones before locking them in a bathroom at the centre, prior to robbing the jewellery store.
He concluded by saying that the incident was “a major blow” to the business.
Police spokesperson, Captain Olebogeng Tawana, said on Monday that Trio Crime Task Team members were investigating a case of business robbery, after “a retail store was broken into during the early hours of Monday”.
“At this stage the investigation is ongoing. We cannot divulge more information, as we are still following leads,” he stated.
A series of robberies have occurred in the area in the last few days.
Last week a local couple was left “severely traumatised” after being assaulted and tied up at their home in Kekewich Drive, Monument Heights, by four men.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, another house in Kekewich Drive was also apparently robbed. The owner of the house could not be contacted on Monday but according to neighbours no one was injured in the incident. It is believed that the resident was at home at the time of the robbery.
Tawana confirmed that one suspect was arrested in connection with a house robbery that happened in Kekewich Drive on Saturday morning, but added that police investigations were still ongoing to determine “how many suspects were involved in the incident”.
A week ago, a house was also robbed in Klisserville and two suspects were arrested.