Five suspected robbers are expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday following a violent jewellery store robbery at the Gateway Theatre of Shopping in Umhlanga, north of Durban.
The suspects were arrested on Monday, a day after an armed gang stormed a jewellery store at the mall and escaped with valuables worth millions of rand, leaving staff and shoppers traumatised.
South African Police Service said gunmen entered the store on the lower level of the mall on Sunday afternoon and stole jewellery estimated at around R3 million. As they fled, the suspects allegedly opened fire on security personnel.
Two officers were shot during the incident and remain in a critical condition.
Within 24 hours, police traced the suspects to Umlazi, south of Durban, where they were allegedly attempting to find a buyer for the stolen goods.
KwaZulu-Natal SAPS spokesperson Paul Magwaza said investigators received intelligence while still processing the crime scene indicating that the suspects were trying to dispose of the stolen items.
“Whilst processing the scene at the mall, police received crucial information that the suspects in the robbery were seeking a buyer of the stolen items in Umlazi,” he said.
He added that members of the Provincial Murder and Robbery Unit, together with the eThekwini District Task Team, acted swiftly on the information, leading to the arrests.
The suspects now face charges of business robbery and attempted murder.