After holding several supermarket members of staff hostage in the cold room earlier this morning (Monday), the suspects involved in a botched robbery at a shopping complex in the Sundumbili area reportedly fled the scene and are still at large.
According to IPSS spokesperson Paul Herbst, who was on scene, the staff members were released several hours after being taken hostage, but when the Saps special task force and K9 unit entered the premises, the suspects could not be found.
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It remains unclear how they escaped.
It is alleged that when the supermarket opened this morning, the suspects assaulted the manager and took several employees hostage.
‘Police surrounded the area while waiting for the Saps special task force and K9 units from Durban,’ said Herbst.
‘After several hours, six hostages were released. They had been held in the cold storage room.
‘Five employees and one security officer were treated on scene for hypothermia by IPSS paramedics before being transported to the hospital for further care,’ he said.
He further explained that later another three hostages were released from the store, and they told police that the armed men were still inside the store.
‘These staff members were treated on scene by IPSS Medical Rescue and were transported to the hospital.
An attempt to obtain comment from Saps was unsuccessful.
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