Police are looking for the six armed men who escaped after holding Boxer Superstore workers hostage in Sundumbili, Mandeni this morning.
The robbers accosted workers when they arrived to open the shop at about 5am.
According to police spokesperson, Brigadier Jay Naicker, the men, armed with rifles and pistols, forced seven staff members into a cold room. After the police arrived at the scene, they managed to free themselves and escape.
Paramedics treated them for hyperthermia before taking them to hospital in KwaDukuza.
“Police, including special task force and tactical response teams, entered the building looking for the armed robbers. They found another three staff members hiding in the building. They were not harmed and were released by police. At this stage, police are still looking for the perpetrators,” said Naicker.
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He said after viewing CCTV footage, police believe the robbers might have left the building as soon as they realised none of the staff members had access to the safe, and that staff and security guards mistakenly thought the robbers were still inside.
IPSS Security Operations manager Phumlani Vezi said it is believed the robbers were looking for pension money which was to be paid out later today.
“Just one worker who the robbers believed knew where the money was, was physically assaulted, ” said Vezi.
Residents came out in numbers to witness the drama unfold from the side of the streets around the store, which is situated opposite the Sundumbili police station.
Some residents expressed their surprise at the audacity of the robbers for attempting to rob a store only meters away from the police station.
“How did they escape with so many police around the store?’ asked one resident, leaning on the police station’s fence. “No one saw them running or walking out.”
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