Watch store robbed of R400k in merchandise

An uMhlanga businessman in KwaZulu-Natal is furious after his watch store was robbed of R400 000 worth of merchandise, the Northglen News reports.

The incident occurred at The Crescent Shopping Centre at about 5am on Thursday morning. Brian Diab, owner of ‘The Watch Movement’ said: “This was the second break-in at his premises in four months. This is the fifth watch store targeted by the gang in the area after robberies at La Lucia Mall and Gateway.”

The robbery is the latest in a series of robberies targeting malls around Durban.

“In all I’ve lost more than R750 000 worth of stock. We have CCTV footage of the gang breaking into my store, and they used a large potted plant vase to smash in my main glass door. They then targeted specific brands of watches like Fossil, they were in and out within two minutes. I’m fed-up because my insurance company won’t pay out. They wanted me to put in metal shutter doors which has been refused by centre management. I’m losing out of my pocket,” he said.

Diab added the gang used hammers to smash through the glass display panels and even left one of the hammers behind.

Kelly Carmichael of The Crescent Centre Management said they were on high alert following the break-in.

“The centre’s team were alerted to the incident and were on-site timeously. The owner has never been denied the opportunity to install additional security measures for the store; we simply encourage all store owners to work with the centre to ensure that both parties’ requirements are adequately met. We are constantly reviewing and making improvements to the overall security of the centre to combat crime, as it’s an ever evolving process,” Carmichael said.

– Caxton News Service