Owner recounts armed robbery at nail salon
Assailants held clients and staff at gunpoint while taking cellphones, handbags and a client’s car.
A nail salon in Valhalla has ramped up its security after the harrowing experience of being held at gunpoint and robbed recently.
Owner of Mi Nail Bar in Valhalla, Mike Asamoah, told Rekord that everyone was safe, although they were shaken following the March 17 incident.
An unknown man walked into the salon and said he wanted to get his nails done.
Asamoah told him to take a seat, then instructed another employee to attend to him as he was still working on a client.
The man sat close to the entrance.
Suddenly a second man, who was armed, came into the salon, and the first man drew his own firearm.
Both men then pointed their guns at the staff and clients while they stole their belongings.
Asamoah said the assailants instructed the employees and clients to go into the corner of the salon while they took the car keys from one of the clients and fled the scene in their car.
Handbags, cellphones and a white VW Polo were stolen.
Asamoah said immediately after, they called 10111 however, were shocked when it took more than three hours for the police to arrive.
“A client said they went there (to the police station) to report the incident and only then did we see police arrive.”
He said that it was rare to see police in the area.
“If somebody calls them and says that they see someone with a gun, we expect them to come. But in reality, when things happen, they are not there,” said Asamoah.
“We are recovering now. We have installed a security gate that we need to unlock with a remote.”
Asamoah said that his clients have been supportive, some even coming back to make sure they were fine.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Divine Nkuna said that a case of business robbery has been opened, and that the matter was being investigated by Wierdabrug police.
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