At approximately 11:15, Marshall Security was alerted to a house robbery in progress in Fern Road, in the suburb of Prestondale, north of Durban.
The information received from the caller was that four armed men were seen entering a property after derailing a gate.
Armed Reaction officers were immediately dispatched and on arrival on scene, further investigation revealed that five armed men wearing balaclavas derailed the driveway gate, entering the property. The suspects gained entry to the home through a sliding door and held the home owner and his wife up at gun point. The elderly couple was made to lie on the floor, while an armed suspect stood guard over them.
The men ransacked the home, stealing a flat screen television, an apple computer, various items of jewelry and a smartphone, before fleeing in a getaway vehicle, a white Volkswagen Polo GTI, in an unknown direction.
Information was obtained which enabled the Marshall Security Special Operations Team to track the stolen cell phone and a signal was found in the KwaMashu area. The team along with the assistance of the South African Police Services descended on the area and after a brief tracking period, the suspect’s vehicle was found parked behind a property in B section KwaMashu. The homeowner’s television, computer, and various other items were found in the vehicle, along with house breaking implements such as bolt cutters and a crowbar.
A check on the vehicles VIN number revealed the vehicle to be wanted on a hijacking case from the Mayville area in August this year.
The scene was secured and handed over to the South African Police Services for further investigation and processing.
The victims were assessed by Crisis Medical paramedics and were confirmed to have suffered no injuries in the ordeal, however, were left considerably traumatized and the assistance of the Durban North Umhlanga Crisis Team was sought to counsel them.
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