Gang grind way into Pick ‘n Pay
A gang of robbers forced their way into the Pick 'n Pay Centre in the CBD around 02:00 on Friday morning, where they assaulted and tied up the lone security guard, and made their way to the three Standard bank ATM's.
The brazen gang fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash, after grinding open the ATM’s from the back, and emptying all the cash boxes, except for two R50 notes, which they arrogantly left behind.
Shoppers and employees in service of a number of shops inside the centre, huddled together outside the locked centre doors, whispering about the brazen break in which seems to have been finely planned around the centre’s security systems.
The traumatized security guard told the police that he was overpowered by four balaclava wearing men, who tied his hands and feet with duct tape inside the guardroom.
One of the men remained with him inside the guardroom while the other three proceeded to PEP stores where they used a grinder to cut through the steel reinforced walls of the store.
They also used the grinder to cut through the reinforced wall of the empty shop next to PEP to gain access to the restricted ATM cash loading bay where the grinder was also used to cut open the ATM’s.
The men used the PEP store as entry point to avoid the two CCTV cameras fixed to the roof of the Pick ‘n Pay supermarket, directly behind the locked glass doors which cordon off the supermarket from the rest of the centre after hours.
The gang however knew exactly how to disconnect PEP’s security cameras by cutting the power cables and disabling the camera and alarm systems.
Pick ‘n Pay staff utilized the time off, to clean the supermarket while forensic investigators of the police combed the scene for clues.
The robbers gained entry to the centre by scaling the Joubert Street gate used by delivery vehicles.
The gang broke through the security gate and wooden door, and once inside skillfully navigated their way to the guardroom which is well hidden in another corridor of the centre.
The centre reopened around 11:30, after forensic police specialists concluded their investigation.
The police have opened a case of business robbery, with a second charge of common robbery.
No arrests have been made.
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