Professionals hit Standard Bank in Standerton
A special tool was used to open the lid of the hole where the telephone cables were cut off.
STANDERTON – Professional burglars carried out a well-planned job at Standard Bank in the early hours of last Sunday morning.
The number of thieves are unknown as no one seems to have seen anything.
As the investigation is not completed, it could not be confirmed how much was stolen.
Standerton Police confirmed however, that R45 000 worth of coins are missing.
The criminals are professional at what they do.
Telephone lines were cut, knowing that the police and Kasselman Security Services could not be reached.
They gained access through the roof of the bank, disabling all the cameras and the alarm.
They worked with precision and made a hole in the safe door, apparently using gas burners, most probably to reduce the noise factor.
This could not have been an in-and-out job, because of the thickness of the safe door.
They knew they had time and took full advantage of it.
The bank makes use of a security company in Johannesburg and because of the telephone lines being cut, they could not get hold of anyone.
According to the police, the manager of another branch in another town was contacted and he alerted the Standerton Police.
A perimeter was cordoned off and the whole police force, with stealthy precision, swept the premises.
But by this time, they were long gone.
The manager, together with the police, went into the building to assess the damage.
The forensic team on the scene took photos and dusted for fingerprints.
Mr Ross Linstrom, spokesman of Standard Bank, confirmed the incident at the Standerton branch and said they are co-operating with the police in the investigation.
According to Lt Fanie Nhlabathi, spokesman of the Standerton Police, no arrests have been made yet and the investigation is underway.
The police said they experienced problems with the telephone lines a month before the robbery and it can only be speculated that it had something to do with this big hit in town.
According to Telkom workers, a special tool has to be used to open the the lid of the manhole where the cables come together.
The lid was opened, without a scratch on, at the corner of Burger Street and Caledon Street, and the cables were bluntly cut off.
If it was a case of cable theft, the cable would not have been still there, lid placed back.
Lt Nhlabathi can be contacted at 079 8915 365 with any information about the robbery.
