WATCH: Armed robbery near Chimp Eden – Weekend crime alert
People are urged to close their windows and arm their alarms.
Four men, two armed with guns, robbed a house near Chimp Eden late last night, February 20.
John Meintjes of ACS Security said they had received the first report at 23:12. According to him, the occupants of the house were held at gunpoint.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported; however, the attackers made off on foot with some household electronics.
CCTV footage from a nearby security camera shows the four suspects casually sauntering under the cloak of darkness towards their intended target.
It is understood in incidences like this, the typical modus operandi is for some suspects to be dropped off within walking distance of the target.
They then walk to the property and carry out the attack or theft before high-tailing it out of there on foot. Along that stretch of the R40, the stolen goods are then usually hidden in the bushes or in one of the stormwater culverts along the road to be collected just after sunrise by minibus or metered taxi.
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Meantime, with a massive school sporting weekend ahead for which multiple events, including the 75th Lowveld Interhigh, are planned, Callum MacPherson of Securicon issued a public crime alert, warning of a likely spike in theft out of motor vehicles.
The high density of vehicles at event sites creates lucrative opportunity for thieves. He advised against leaving valuable items or items that may be perceived as valuable visibly in cars and reminded the public to make sure their cars are locked.
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In addition, he highlighted the ongoing trend of residential theft through what has been dubbed the ‘fishing’ method, especially in the hot summer months.
Here criminals target homes where windows are left open. A pool net, broom or other long object is used to ‘fish’ out items such as laptops, cellphones, alcohol and garden equipment, located near an open window.
MacPherson said there are two groupings of ‘fishing’ thieves operating in Mbombela. The first is a lone wolf working in various suburbs such as Steiltes, Sonheuwel and West Acres.
This cautious criminal seemingly always wears gloves, covers his face and mostly carries a backpack. He is careful of alarm systems and avoids them – hence arming alarm systems at night or when away from home is strongly advised.
Although he avoids confrontation, MacPherson said there was no telling what we might do if confronted.
The second grouping is reportedly a pair of men operating mainly in West Acres. CCTV footage indicate they only intermittently cover their faces.
Besides fishing goods out of windows, they appear to have an appetite for loose outdoor goods such as camping chairs, generators and bicycles, as well as removing gate motors.
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