Durban - Police are hunting for a gang of four men who smashed through the glass doors of Cash Crusaders in Durban’s Atrium shopping centre and made off with car radios, tablets and chargers.
Armed with hammers, the men entered the Overport-based shopping centre where they proceeded to the store and broke the doors, using 10-pound hammers.
CCTV footage from inside the store shows the men running up to the entrance and pounding at the door with hammers on Wednesday. The four enter and one man is seen grabbing items from a display unit.
Footage from another angle shows a smoke detector-like apparatus releasing smoke and filling the shop, while the men continue to smash through glass displays and grab items.
They load their loot and flee.
Zulaika Bibi Alli was at Spur, a level above Cash Crusaders, when the incident unfolded.
“We were celebrating my son’s 13th birthday and had eaten supper. The children were eating ice cream when we heard the alarm. One of the waitresses ran to the door and said there was a robbery. Spur management immediately closed the doors,” said Alli.
She said the eatery was full of patrons at the time.
“After 10 minutes, we saw smoke emerging from the bottom floor. We are not sure what caused the smoke. We saw two police officers with guns going downstairs. Everyone got up from their tables and rushed to the door to see what was going on. It was the first time that we were involved in an experience like this,” said Alli.
She said they were in shock and grateful that the men had not walked up to the Spur.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane said a case of business robbery was opened at Berea SAPS. He said the gang made off with car radios, tablets and chargers.
In recent months, the “hammer gang” has become notorious for their break-ins using 10-pound hammers. They target jewellery stores around the city, where they break through glass and steal jewellery.
Since the beginning of the year, there have been several similar robberies carried out by hammer-wielding men.
Earlier this week, suspects pounced on a store at the Southway Mall and made off with items worth thousands of rands. Officers from the provincial task team arrested five men, aged 25 to 35, in connection with that incident. Four of them were charged with business robbery and a fifth was released. The four were expected to appear in court on Friday.
During that robbery, two of the men posed as customers. CCTV footage shows more men entering the store and breaking the glass display cabinets. The gang filled their bags with jewellery and fled. During the arrest, the stolen goods were recovered by police.
In February, an armed robber was shot dead in a robbery at a jewellery store in Reservoir Hills.