Two guards wounded in ATM robbery
Two guards were shot and wounded by criminals as they were loading money at an ATM in Soshanguve.
Two security guards were shot and wounded in an armed robbery at a shopping centre in Soshanguve block GG on Saturday.
The two guards in the employ of a G4s Security Service were loading money around 12:41 into an ATM machine when the two robbers struck.
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Lolo Mangena confirmed the crime, saying the police were searching for the culprits.
“The two suspects shot both guards before fleeing with R50 000 from the ATM. The two guards were rushed to hospital where they are in critical condition. The two suspects got away in an unidentified vehicle.”
Mangena declined to name the wounded guards and the hospital where they were being treated.
“We are working on some vital clues from the CCTV at the shopping centre. We will crack the case soon,” he said.
Mangena said two cases, one of business robbery and the other of attempted murder, were being investigated.
Gauteng police commissioner Lesetja Mothiba expressed concern over the increase in armed and business robberies at the malls.
“We have made a significant progress in foiling attacks and arresting shopping centre robbers in the past few weeks, but the difficulty was that several groups were involved in the shopping centre heists,” said Mothiba.
He said an integrated approach had been adopted to fight mall robberies, which had spiked the last three months.
The police have been working with mall security guards, business organisations, the SA Banking Risk Information Centre and the SA Consumer Goods Council.
Mothiba said police had also stepped up security at shopping centres across the country.
“We have 13 Nyalas stationary at different malls and our sector vehicles are also patrolling at the malls frequently. We are looking for a syndicate linked to previous incidents at other shopping centres and malls and are hopeful of arrests in the immediate future.”
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