Gauteng Police provides information on 11 recent robberies at malls

September 9, 2014January 2, 2018 jonckie

Five suspects were arrested during an early morning Crime intelligence raid in Brixton and Doornfontein today. This follows an intense investigation and several leads by Crime intelligence on the robberies. The four suspects, aged between 28 and 44 years old were arrested at their hide out in Brixton and Doornfontein. During the arrest police confiscated a 9mm pistol and 3 semi automatic rifles as well as 97 life rounds of ammunition.

The suspects are in custody and will be charged with the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. Possibility of more charges to be added is not yet ruled out. The investigation will focus on their alleged involvement in the robbery at the Black Chain Shopping Centre in Diepkloof, Soweto, ATM Bombings, Taxi Violence and business Robbery. This is a remarkable breakthrough for the police in their investigation in mall robberies.

As the Provincial Commissioner of Gauteng and my management, this spate of robberies and attacks on malls, is of a great concern to us. This is a period where communities are busy with their shopping for the festive season. The most recent attacks and robberies were during the weekend at Cradlestone Mall in Krugersdorp on Friday where a Samsung Cellular phone shop was robbed and cash in transit robbery at the Black Chain, shopping complex in Diepkloof Soweto on Saturday, where a security guard was robbed and killed and three others injured. The five suspects fled in two vehicles. A white Chev Cruze and a grey VW Jetta with false registration.

We had 11 incidents of robberies at Malls which can be categories between cellular shops and cash in transit robberies:

1. The Glen Mall: Monday, 8 September 2014: An Altech Autopage Cellular store was robbed of 15 cell phones to the value of R34 000 last night by 3 armed suspects posing as customers. No shots fired and no injuries.

2. Black Chain Shopping Centre in Diepkloof, Soweto on Saturday 6 September 2014. Four to five suspects entered the shopping complex and robbed a security officer of a cashbox containing an undisclosed amount of money. One security guard was shot and killed and three people were injured.

3. Cradlestone Mall: Friday, 5 September 2014. The police are now searching for a gang who robbed a Samsung store at the Cradlestone Mall on the West Rand. The robbers made off with cellphones and tablets worth hundreds of thousands of rand. It’s understood that five gunmen entered the shop and threatened the staff with guns before locking them in a backroom.

4. World Wear Shopping Centre: On Thursday, 4 September 2014 morning, a clothing store at the World Wear Shopping Centre in Fairlands, Johannesburg, was targeted. Eight armed men have made off with clothing worth an undisclosed amount. No arrests have been made yet. Police are searhcing for a group of 8 men who went to Timberland store, “They pointed the employees with firearms and removed all clothing from the shop. The men fled in a white Toyota double cab.

5. Eastgate Mall: Wednesday, 3 September 2014. Telkom Connect Store. Three men entered the store late on Wednesday afternoon and demanded cellphones from staff valued at an undisclosed amount of money, before fleeing. No injuries reported.

6. Northgate Mall: On Tuesday 2 September 2014: There’s been an armed robbery at the Northgate Shopping Centre in Johannesburg. Two robbers held up staff at a cellphone shop in the mall earlier today. No shots were fired and there have been no immediate reports of injuries.

7. Kolonade Mall Pretoria: Tuesday, 2 September 2014. Telkom Connect Store. It was the second robbery at the Telkom Direct outlet at the Kolonnade shopping centre. No shots were fired and no injuries reported. Four armed men robbed the Telkom Direct store at the Kolonnade shopping centre on Tuesday afternoon. This is the second robbery at the store in almost two weeks.

8. Maponya Mall, Soweto: An armed robbery occurred on Monday, 1 September 2014, two security guards were robbed of a cash box with an undisclosed amount of money. Cash from the Pick and Pay paypoint was robbed. No injuries reported.

9. Centurion Mall: Friday, 15 August 2014. Four armed men entered the Apple iStore and pose as customers and robbed the store of phones and other electronic devices. Suspects fired randomly in the parking area and no injuries were reported.

10. The Glenn: Thursday, 14 August 2014. Three armed men entered the Apple iStore and pose as customers and robbed the store of phones and other electronic devices. Suspects fired randomly in the parking area and injured a security officer.

11. Cresta Mall: Wednesday, 13 August 2014. Three armed men stormed the Apple iStore phone shop and robbed them of an undisclosed amount of phones and electronic equipment. The suspects fired randomly in the parking area. One person was injured.

In two incidents cash was robbed. Both incidents occurred in Soweto, one at the Maponya Mall and another at the Black Chain Shopping Centre in Diepkloof, Soweto on Saturday. In the Maponya Mall incident Cash was taken at Pick and Pay and at the Black Chain Shopping Centre a security guard was shot and killed and three others injured in the robbery.

The SAPS as part of our investigation has collected evidence at these crime scenes which include video footage that we analysed. We must indicate to you today that we have engage Business against Crime (BAC) and SABRIC as part of the process to stop the wave of robberies. We have setup meetings with Mall management to beef up security at Malls as well as looking at their security systems at the premises.

We are hereby appealing to all stakeholders to work together to fight the scourge of robberies at shopping complexes in the run up to the festive season.

REWARD: Today we are releasing for publication some of the footage that we gathered during the commission of these robberies. We are also offering a reward of up to R200 000 for any information that may lead to the arrest and successful prosecution of these criminals. In all the robberies there were between two and five male suspects. People with information can contact Crime Stop at 08600 10111 or Crime Line at SMS 32211.

We also urge community members and shoppers to be vigilant and alert whilst doing their shopping at malls.

The festive season is soon approaching and Gauteng SAPS will increase visibility in and around some of the Malls that we have identified as high risk. We have identified 12 Malls where we will increase visibility which will include the deployment of Nyalas. Police investigate possible link in Gauteng mall robberies.

Gauteng Police Commissioner Lesetja Mothiba has confirmed a national team of detectives has been assigned to help their local counterparts investigate a spate of violent mall robberies.

UPDATE ON REPORTED CASES:

COP KILLINGS: Last night an off duty police officer was shot and killed as he was entering his home in Dawn Park, Vosloorus. The spate of Cop Killings in the Province is alarming and cannot continue like this. We have lost 13 (thirteen) police officers six on duty and seven off duty in the past 6 months.

We appealing to the community to work with police and protect their law enforcement officers. Remember policing cannot be done by police alone and we need the community to work with the police.

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