Armed robbers hit The Grove mall, 300 cellphones stolen
“The suspects gave the complainant a schoolbag and ordered her to put all the cellphones in the bag.”
About 300 cellphones were stolen from a clothing store during an armed robbery at The Grove mall in the east of Pretoria on Wednesday morning.
Silverton police spokesperson Warrant Officer Isaac Mculu said the robbery happened at the Ackermans store at around 10:50.
He said two men showed up at the store entrance and told a staff member that they were there to “work”.
“A few seconds later, one of the two men took out a firearm and pointed it at the staff member. They then went towards the cellphone cabinet and instructed the employees to open the cabinet,” Mculu said.
“The suspects gave the complainant a schoolbag and ordered her to put all the cellphones in the bag.” They further demanded the cash tills to open before taking R3 000, Mculu said.
“They then went to the back of the shop and found the manager and two of her colleagues. They were held at gunpoint and the robbers instructed the manager to open the cellphone safe too, which he did.”
Mculu said the suspects fled the scene in a gateway vehicle. “They stole about 300 cellphones worth around R280 000,” he said.
No shots were fired.
The mall confirmed the robbery and also said that no injuries were reported.
“Management attends to all and any incidents with utmost priority and the security of our shoppers and tenants is of paramount importance to us,” said mall spokesperson Chris Hutchings.
He thanked the SAPS, Tshwane metro police and security companies for their quick response.
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