An elderly man suffered a heart attack and died after discovering that intruders were outside his home in Palmview, Albersville near Port Shepstone in KwaZulu Natal in the early hours of Thursday.

Soobramoney ‘Moneyboy’ Chellan (70) and his son Kershan Chellan heard a disturbance outside their home at about 04:00. At the same time Eskom had been load-shedding.

They discovered that burglars had tampered with a Wendy house on the property and they called a security company. According to a relative, Chellan collapsed after making the call.

“The shock of the incident resulted in heart failure and Soobramoney fell to the ground in front of his traumatised son. We’re devastated that such a thing should happen to such a good man,” a family member said.

Paramedics were called to the scene but little could be done, and Chellan was declared dead later that morning.

He was described as a quiet man who generally kept to himself. He had lived in Mynah Road, Palmview for several years.

According to another Palmview resident, he had also noticed intruders on his property at about midnight on the same day.

“I called Lazer 911 Security and they searched my property and neighbouring properties. We have seen a spike in crime in the area and in most cases if not all the intruders operate in the early hours of the morning. They also take advantage during load-shedding.”