HERMANSBURG – A group of young people were overpowered by armed robbers while house sitting for a family friend.
The incident occurred at around 03:00 on Saturday morning at the Hilltop Gardens farm just off the R40 Barberton Road.
The owners of the farm were on holiday at the time.
According to Hi-Tech Security Nelspruit, one of their reaction units responded to an alarm at the premises earlier that evening.
“At 19:00 our control room received an alarm and our reaction unit inspected the property but found no signs of a break in,” said Hi-Tech Security Nelspruit Operations Manager Vernon Lancaster.
“The youngsters, all in their early twenties, arrived on the farm at 19:30 and were socializing until late that night. One of the girls went to shower at around 02:30 that morning and was met with a man pointing a gun at her face as she came out of the bathroom.”
According to the group, there were around five men wielding firearms.
The men ordered them to be still and tied their hands with wires.
They were covered with blankets, locked in one of the rooms and their cellphones taken from them.
The robbers ransacked a tool shed for grinders and other power tools which they allegedly used to try and break into a huge walk-in safe inside the house.
After failing to break through the safe’s door and walls, they apparently attempted entering through the roof.
“It would appear as though the suspects realized time was running out and so they grabbed keys and remotes from the house before stealing a Pajero and fleeing from the scene.
One of the girls found a panic remote which the robbers failed to notice and our armed response were alerted, Lancaster said. Nobody was injured during the incident.
The SAPS and Bossies Justice also arrived at the scene.
“As it appeared on the scene, it would seem as though the men were surprised by the young people and the focus of their attention was the safe which carried a number of rifles and firearms.”
Police are currently investigating the case.
