Service station bombed
Small service station ripped apart by large explosion.
Two explosions demolished a convenience store at a Shell service station in Kloofsig on Wednesday night.
Three armed men in blue overalls and balaclavas first dislodged a safe behind the teller’s counter, using explosives. The blast tore the small store apart, said service station owner Ralph Vockerodt.
They then blew open the store’s ATM machine, taking the cash inside.
The three pounced on the service station on the corner of D.F. Malan and Kruger avenues around 20:25, one of them pulling a man waiting at a petrol pump off his motorcycle.
The other two armed robbers rushed into the station’s convenience store, and forced customers and staff into a small kitchen in the back of the store.
They tried to force the store’s safe open with a crowbar, before attempting to melt it with what appeared to be a small amount of thermite. The robbers then moved to the small safe behind the teller’s counter.
The third man was waiting outside, keeping an eye on the motorcyclist. The three men eventually fled with the store’s safe, an undisclosed amount of cash and cellphones taken from staff and customers. No one was hurt.
“We have no idea who these men are, or even how many they really were. Right now we just want to have the store repaired. We are very thankful that no one was hurt or killed,” said Vockerodt.
The explosion tore the store apart, exposing the electrical wiring and pipes. Glass fridges and racks in the store were in pieces. The counter was destroyed, scattering pieces of computers and POS machines across the store.
Brooklyn police spokesperson Captain Colette Weilbach said: “We are investigating along with Lyttelton police.”
Anyone with information on the matter could call the Lyttelton police station on 012-644-8644 or the Crime Stop number at 08600-10111.
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