Suspects arrested for Laudium house robbery

Laudium police arrested three suspects on Wednesday for house robbery.

Spokesperson for Laudium police, Sergeant Simon Chokoe, said police officers as well as security companies responded to an armed robbery in 5th Avenue on Wednesday.

He said two suspects were arrested on the scene, including one who was still in the yard trying to escape. Further investigations led to the arrest of a third suspect later.

All three suspects were charged with house robbery and the matter is being investigated further.

“The occupants of a residence were surprised by two males. One of them entered the residence with a firearm, demanding keys and a bag.

“The house was ransacked while the occupants were being held at gunpoint and tied with cable ties.”

Chokoe said a cellphone, keys and wallet with an undisclosed amount of money, was taken.

He said another family member entered the house unaware of the robbery taking place.

“No shots were fired and no one was injured.”

Fidelity ADT branch manager, Maurice Malan, said they received a panic signal from the residence and immediately dispatched an officer.

“On arrival our officer cautiously approached the home scanning the area. Once he was on the property, he saw through the window that the client had in fact been tied up with cable ties.

“The homeowner, noticing the officer, managed to signal to him that the suspects were at the back of the house.”

Malan said the officer immediately called for back-up and when he walked around the house he saw the suspects were busy trying to escape by climbing over the high fence at the back of the house.

“He immediately gave chase and was successful in apprehending one of the suspects. When back-up arrived, the officers were able to attend to the client who confirmed he had just arrived home from work and entered his home.

“He had been confronted by one of the armed suspects who tied him up. He confirmed the suspects had taken his wallet containing cash and cards.”

Malan said upon further investigation it transpired that the two suspects had been working together with the client’s gardener.

He said it was key to carefully vet all domestic staff working on residents’ property.

“Your domestic staff is your home’s first line of defence. That’s why it’s particularly important that you hire staff who have been vetted, and who are trustworthy.

“Doing the necessary background checks on domestic staff before hiring them may seem like a time-consuming exercise but could make all the difference to your home security. In many cases of break-ins and house robberies, we find that there has been inside information shared with criminals.”

Malan recommended starting with a criminal record check which can be obtained through the police with the potential employee’s consent.

He also suggested doing a reference check with several previous employers.

“Ask questions about dismissals, responsibilities, any security issues, tardiness, and so on. It’s important to speak to more than one previous employer so you can get a good idea of the employee’s track record,” he said.

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