Crime upsurge in central business area

In the past few weeks Dundee businesses have had it hard with an upsurge in armed robberies. Thieves have helped themselves to cash, cellphones and other goods.
On Monday, SaveMore on King Edward Street was robbed by armed men, who made off with R23 000 in cash, cigarettes and two cellphones. The three armed men held staff at gunpoint, police said.

This followed on from the previous day’s armed robbery of Clothing Junction, where staff members were tied up. The robbers made off with around R4 000 and three cellphones.
In another twist to the modus operandi, the day before social grant and pension payout, Boxer Superstores was almost robbed of their cash. Police said the assistant manager was carjacked on the night of July 31 on Gray Street by a gang of heavily-armed men, travelling in a Quantum.

The assistant manager apparently told the robbers that the keys to the safe are kept by another employee, who lives in Sibongile. They then went to her home, where they took the keys and the colleague and headed to the store.
Upon their arrival, they saw a police van patrolling the street. The suspects then drove past the store, dropping the employees off close-by. They also took the manager’s car, which was later found in an abandoned building near Ekuvukeni.
In all these cases no arrests have been made, and police investigations continue.