Irene Mall robber nabbed

One man was arrested while three are still at large after a Telkom Mobile store at Irene Village Mall was robbed on Friday afternoon, Gauteng provincial commissioner, Lieutenant General Lesetja Mothiba said.

The arrest comes hours after another robbery took place at Centurion Mall, where six men were apprehended.

Mothiba said the armed men entered the Telkom store at around 13:30, pretending to be shoppers.

“They were pushing a trolley. When the manager of the store tried to stop them from entering the store with the trolley, the suspects threatened the manager with a firearm,” he said.

After demanding keys to the safe, the men took cellphones and cash.

The mall’s marketing manager, Fietca van der Merwe, said the store’s manager pressed the panic button when the men left the store.

“Security immediately responded and police were informed. Security guards pursued the suspects, and shots were fired in the parking area. The robbers fled the scene in a blue Audi A4.”

Mothiba said some of the suspects also fled in a Toyota Quantum.

He added that the Audi A4, which was hijacked in Secunda in June, was recovered when police cornered the driver on Olifantsfontein Road.

“Two cellular phones were recovered and police investigations are continuing,”

Van der Merwe said no customers were present in the store during the robbery and no one was injured.

Centre manager, Elsabé van den Berg said, “Irene Village Mall and its security team are working closely with the police to tackle this national problem. We would like to thank the police, who have already made an arrest, for their swift response.”