A sleepy Saturday morning turned sour in Umhlali, when three robbers targeted a second-hand store on the town’s main road.

The brazen but non-violent robbery took place at around 10am, when two foreign nationals, a man and woman in their 30s, entered Second Chance.

After browsing briefly, the duo settled on two dinner sets, which included expensive cutlery and crockery.

“They were talking amongst themselves, deciding on whether to take both or just one.

“Eventually, they came to the register and asked if they could pay in multiple currencies,” said owner Penny Dudley.

Although this rung some alarm bells, Dudley said it was not unusual for African tourists to pay in US Dollars.

“I said it was alright on the condition that the currency went through my counterfeit machine.

“They agreed and I checked both the legitimacy and amount of the notes,” she said.

The money was cleared and the sale went ahead, with roughly 60% paid in Rands and the remainder in Dollars.

While at the register, Dudley said the duo became somewhat aggressive to each other, which raised further concern.

Nevertheless, with possession of the full payment, Dudley and the staff were happy to conclude the sale.

“I had one hand on the dollars, which were folded on the counter.

“The man continued to talk to me however and put the boxes (with the dinner sets) back down after initially picking them up,” said Dudley.

The woman then distracted Dudley by asking for the price of another item near the counter.

“I must have looked away for five seconds, in which time the man had picked up the Dollars.

“He began rolling the pile and putting an elastic band around it, saying to me that this was the way people who laundered money folded their notes.”

Dudley took back the Dollars, putting them in her pocket, at which point the duo grabbed their boxes off the counter and rushed off to a waiting car with the third person driving.

Before any of the staff realised what had happened, the thieves had left and it transpired that they had lightfingered portions of the Rands and Dollars that they had originally =paid.

The total cost to the store was around R16 000.

“Unfortunately these are difficult lessons that you have to learn sometimes.

“Even after taking the right steps to prevent theft, one can still be caught out.

“I hope my experience can prevent it from happening to anyone else,” said Dudley.

The group drove off in a white VW Jetta, with GP registration.

The woman was wearing an horizontally striped white and blue dress, while the man was dressed in black jeans and a maroon shirt with writing on it.

If you see anyone matching the description, contact Umhlali Saps.

For breaking news follow The North Coast Courier on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Join our Telegram Broadcast Service at: https://t.me/joinchat/yJULuN8NaCs5OGM0

Join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service: Simply add 082 792 9405 (North Coast Courier) as a contact to your phone, and WhatsApp your name and surname to the same number to be added.