On the 13th of June around 9:20am an armed robbery took place at the MTN store which is based in Birch-Acres Mall (Kempton Park).
Expensive cellphones, routers, Headphones and Staff members’ cellphones were stolen. Fortune enough the police officers worked together with the security officers and they arrested one suspect on the scene.
One of the MTN store staff members Mr Seimela who was on duty when the robbery happened gave police officers a statement, saying, “I was approached by one African male and he asked me to assist him in buying a new cellphone, Suddenly another man approached me and asked me to assist him with sim swap, and because I am a generous person and I work with people, I told myself let me hit two birds with one stone. I went to the store room to fetch the cellphone and the sim-card and when I came back one of the suspects pull out a firearm and pointed it straight to my face. Then the other suspect demanded everyone in the store to stand in the corner. The one who was pointing me with the gun, told me give him all the expensive cellphones, headphones and routers and they also took our cellphones as well.
“One of the security officers managed to lock the gate when he noticed that there’s a robbery taking place inside the mall.”
Sergeant Ngwepe and Sergeant Setlabi from Norkem Park (SAPS) managed to get a tip off and they rushed to the scene, found that the suspects were still inside the mall.
The security officers informed the two police officers that one of the suspects loaded the bags into a white VW Polo, but they have not left the mall.
The two police officers called for backup, the Crime Prevention members arrived on the scene alongside constable Mahlunga, Semenya and Sergeant Thobejane along with the Ekurhuleni Metro police officers and they managed to bust in and they arrested one suspect, but the other one managed to escape.
The white VW Polo was found with four toy guns and 23 boxes of new cellphones, Sim-cards and the staff members’ cellphones.
The suspect who was arrested on the scene informed the police officers that the other suspect is using a Hyundai to escape and is going to Rabie Ridge to open a case of a high jacking. The suspect opened a case and notified the tracker company about the stolen vehicle. He was found in Rabie Ridge police station; he was arrested then charged for Perjury.
By Vusumuzi Makwakwa
