Kaalfontein Engen garage robbed by heavily armed men in the wee hours

Unknown, heavily armed men, wearing balaclavas and gloves, robbed the tills at the Engen garage in Kaalfontein of an undisclosed amount of cash.

This happened in the early hours of December 7, at around 02:50, on the corner of Archerfish and Angelfish drives.
The men, whose number is not yet known, were driving a white Toyota Quantum when they stormed the garage.

Patrons and staff have described the robbery, as like a movie, with robbers coming with in with rifles and pistols and explosive materials.

A garage representative, who spoke to the paper on condition of anonymity, said the taxi carrying the suspects pretended as if they wanted to refuel. “Four suspects got out of the taxi with rifles, then started to order patrons and staff to lie-down. They then proceeded to the shop, were they took cigarettes and ordered cashiers to print them airtime vouchers. They tried to bomb the drop safe, but their attempts were unsuccessful and ultimately they left.”

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Patrons made a lucky escape, as their phones, car keys, and other belonging were not taken during the course of the robbery. They were only made to lie down and not disturb the robbers’ mission.

An e-hailing driver, who was at the garage to refill his car before fetching his customer, said, “It was like I was in a movie. What I have seen was traumatic. The big guns they were carrying just made everything look like I was in a movie, were you see robbers coming to rob a store, a bank, or even a garage with such big guns. However, the difference was that it was happening right in front of my eyes. We were lucky that they did not take any of our belongings, like hijack our cars as run-away cars.”

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Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi confirmed that they were investigating a case of business robbery. “The unknown armed suspects, approximately eight men, allegedly came to the filling station, driving a white Quantum, and robbed the station of an undisclosed amount of cash, airtime vouchers, and cigarettes. They further attempted to bomb the safe but failed. They reportedly fired several shots into the air before fleeing the scene.”

Despite unconfirmed reports that one person had died, Nevhuhulwi told Midrand Reporter that no one was reported injured.

“The police request anyone who may have information that can assist with the investigation to contact the Crime Stop Line at 08600 10111, or report anonymous tip-offs on the MySAPSApp, which can be downloaded on any smartphone,” concluded Nevhuhulwi.

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