R30m cash heist a mystery

By Rivonia Naidu

How were armed robbers able to make off with more than R30-million from a cash-in-transit vehicle which was parked on the roof of a busy shopping centre in central Durban on Tuesday?

That's the question police are desperate to answer as they put together the pieces of an armed robbery at Game City Shopping Centre in Stamfordhill Road. No shots were fired and no one was injured in the brazen armed robbery that has sparked concerns of increased heist activity over the festive season.

Police sent a strong message to cash-in-transit syndicates when they arrested a 26-man gang at the Umvoti Toll Plaza last month. The men were linked to other heists throughout the country.

At the suspects' bail application earlier this month an affidavit by Anton Wiid, the financial risk manager for the SAPS, outlined the high statistics of cash-in-transit heists. These include all classical heists, so-called ramming incidents, cross-pavement incidents, bogus pick-up incidents and burglaries.

Last year there were 520 robberies at a cash loss of R194 925 697. This year there have been 468 incidents with a cash loss of R86 38 977. In the last six years there have been 3 389 incidents with a cash loss of R8,9-billion.

In August, city malls were rocked as police rushed to deal with five different cash-in-transit heists and an armed robbery - all in the space of five hours. In several of the incidents criminals fired shots at the scene.

In total more than R500 000 was stolen.

Nationally, the war between police, cash-in-transit guards and robbers turned bloody, with guards threatening a national strike should the spate of heists continue.

Tuesday's robbery took place while SBV guards were servicing ATMs at the busy shopping centre.

Captain Shane Smith of the Serious and Violent Crime Unit said while three guards went into the shopping centre, the driver of the vehicle was in the van which was in the roof parking lot.

"The driver alleges that he was approached by two suspects - one of them armed - and was told to drive out of the parking lot. He said he was told to pull over along Stamfordhill Road and a third suspect entered the vehicle.

"One of the suspects then took over and drove to Cobham Grove, off Stamfordhill Road. It was there that the suspects allegedly transferred the money into a white bakkie and fled," said Smith.

He said police were alerted after the other guards made their way out of the shopping centre and could not find the vehicle.

"They alerted one of their managers, who was able to locate the vehicle via a tracking service," he said.

Smith said when police arrived at the scene, all they found was the vehicle and the lone driver.

The three guards were taken by police to the scene of the heist.

Smith said: "Police are investigating all avenues and are looking closely at the statements of the guards."

He said there was always an increase in cash-in-transit heists during the festive season and that police were working around the clock to bring down syndicates that were in operation.

Smith said although police had made significant breakthroughs this year, cash-in-transit syndicates still posed a threat, especially during the festive season.

"We have to say that a few major arrests this year throughout the country has been somewhat of a deterrent," he said.