Man accidentally shot in Merebank house robbery succumbs to injuries
Community activist, Yusuf Vawda, said the robbers rushed into the house while the wife was on the prayer mat and demanded access to the safe while ransacking the cupboards.
A MAN who sustained gunshot injuries following an armed robbery on Kashmir Road in Merebank, on Friday, 15 May, succumbed to his injuries in hospital just five days after the shooting and was buried on Friday, 22 May.
SAPS, Metro Police, PT Alarms Tactical Unit and PT K9 members together with other security companies responded to the scene to discover a gang of suspects who had forced their way into a house and held a family up at gunpoint.
“The suspects demanded access to the safe and ransacked the home while pushing and shoving the occupants around. They made off with an undisclosed amount of jewellery and departed quickly upon spotting a neighbour who had eyes on them,” said the alarms company spokesperson, Dhevan Govindsamy.
He added that the suspects fired random shots while making a getaway, injuring the passer-by in the left thigh region.
“It is alleged the suspects were in possession of a high calibre rifle. The victim was treated by our ambulance services and was transported later by paramedics in a private ambulance,” he said. The car the robbers used was later found abandoned in Lamontville.
Community activist, Yusuf Vawda, said the robbers rushed into the house while the wife was on the prayer mat and demanded access to the safe while ransacking the cupboards.
“The husband, who was outside, was grabbed by a robber and forced to sit on the floor in the yard. When the robbers inside heard gunshots go off, one of them was about to hit the wife on the head with a vase. They panicked and ran off,” he said.
He added that the family is still traumatised. The death of the passer-by only adds insult to injury. Vawda also pleaded with the community to not make statements on social media as the police are still investigating the case.
“Misleading information to the public via social media needs to stop because it could have major repercussions as this is an ongoing investigation. We urge residents to be alert and vigilant in these dangerous times. We are not only fighting a pandemic but the lawlessness of marauding criminals, some of whom are in possession of high calibre weapons.”
“We are deeply saddened by Mathew Anamalay’s untimely death. We grieve with his family and we urge police to find the perpetrators responsible for this merciless killing,” he said.
The provincial police confirmed that the case was under investigation and that the suspects were still at large.
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