Mini-market robbery suspects arrested

Police made a major break-through when they arrested the two suspects captured on CCTV footage and who allegedly broke into the Allandale Mini-Market after the Public Eye published their picture last week.

The arrests by the Mountain Rise SAPS Crime Prevention Unit on Saturday, came just two days after the Public Eye hit the streets on Thursday last week.

It was reported in last week’s Public Eye that more than ten businesses had fallen prey to gang robberies. The group of robbers, caught on camera during the attempted break-in at the Plymouth Road shopping complex, shows how at first, an unmasked man, armed with a crowbar or iron rod, calmly approached the locked burglar guard gates, attempted to pry it open with the rod, and then more gang members arrive in another attempt to gain access to the premises, this time successfully breaking the hinge.

Then another suspect, wearing a back-pack, a peak cap and dressed in full white, tried to break the lock unsuccessfully. They all then return and pull the gate apart together – which is when they flee after seeing the CCTV camera and after setting the alarm off.

Prior to this incident, another business The Fruit and Veg Grocer, in the same vicinity of Allandale Mini-Market was also broken into.

Allandale Mini-Market and Superette owner Sash Lajmeeneranj said they were amazed with the speedy response after the article was published.

“We did the right thing by approaching the Public Eye, we did not know that the suspects were arrested but we are delighted that they have been caught. Our main aim was to create awareness in the community and to show people what is going. We knew that there was a high probability that someone would know them or see them and direct the police to them. We are grateful to the Public Eye for a job well done!” he said.

SAPS area spokesman Captain Gay Ebrahims said that the police are appealing to businesses to step up security and secure their businesses properly.

“We are asking that items with serial numbers be recorded which makes it easier to recover if it is stolen and associated with other burglaries,” she said.