Cape Town - A cash-in-transit employee was abducted on Saturday afternoon by robbers who strapped explosives to him and forced him to clear out ATMs across Cape Town.
The dramatic robbery came to an end when the man was dropped off alongside the N2 highway with the explosives still strapped to his body.
A message on the Crime Fighters Helderberg Basin Facebook group warned people to stay out of the area.
The message read: “Incident Macassar Bridge & N2, Somerset West had been cordoned off by @SAPoliceService due to a guy strapped with a bomb around his body. Police bomb squad and all role-players on scene. Please stay clear and make way for emergency vehicles.”
As the drama unfolded, police kept the crowds at bay and were able to get the man to safety.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa said: “The Western Cape bomb disposal unit responded to an incident where a cash-in-transit company employee was allegedly abducted, strapped with explosive materials and forced to remove cash from several ATMs in Cape Town. The 30-year-old man was then dropped off along the N2 highway near Firgrove Road, with the explosive materials still strapped to him.”
She confirmed that by late yesterday no arrests had been made, but that detectives are investigating a kidnapping as well as a robbery case.