Business owners urged to be alert
BLUE Security has warned business owners to think twice before carrying large sums of cash following five major robberies over the past month in the Durban North area.
Most of the robberies occurred after bank customers had either arrived to make deposits or had withdrawn cash and in one incident a woman was followed in broad daylight all the way from the Pavilion to Springfield Park.
Blue Security managing director Darryn le Grange said the reported robberies, which all took place in the space of a few weeks, resulted in criminals getting away with more than R400 000 in cash.
Four of the robberies took place in Umhlanga and the fifth robbery occurred in Springfield Park after a woman withdrew a large sum of cash from the bank and was followed back to Springdale Road and ambushed.
“The woman had drawn a large sum of money from ABSA in the Pavilion and was followed home by two armed suspects in a silver Toyota Corolla. As the owner entered the premises, the suspects held her up at gunpoint, grabbed the cash and fled,” le Grange said.
Le Grange urged bank customers and residents to avoid accepting large sums of cash that would need to be deposited and to rather pay staff and suppliers electronically.
“It is simply not safe to carry around large sums of cash. It is wiser and also much cheaper to use the bank’s electronic payment and transfer facilities than to risk falling prey to lurking robbers. Unfortunately, it is far too easy for criminal gangs to relay intelligence regarding potential victims to one another via cellphones and this enables them to pounce on unsuspecting victims with the element of surprise in their favour,” Le Grange said.
Le Grange added that if business people could not avoid having to withdraw and deposit large sums of cash they should take an employee with them to the bank to help maintain vigilance.
“When arriving or leaving the bank, carrying cash, always be vigilant. It may be a routine deposit for you and easy to slip into complacency but be on your guard against any suspicious characters and vehicles lurking outside the bank. If you do notice anything suspicious immediately alert the bank’s security guards and the manager,” le Grange said.
