Thieves made off with an undisclosed amount of money in a carefully executed heist at a Vincent firm early yesterday morning.
The robbery at Mambo’s Plastic Warehouse in Balfour Road had a similar method to a heist at Bidvest Bank nearby the weekend before.
It is believed suspects gained entry to Mambo’s through a hole in the roof. Once inside they disconnected the alarm systems and located the safe.
They attempted to break it open using gardening equipment and when that failed, used explosives to blow it open. The blast went off and the thieves cleaned out the safe and left the store unnoticed by residents nearby or patrol guards in the area.
In the Bidvest heist thieves made off with thousands in foreign currency and office equipment.
Mambo store manager Johan Sadie said he opened the store for business shortly after 8am and found a mess. He immediately called their security company and police.
Employees were barred from entering and customers were asked to come back later.
Police from the bomb disposal unit were sent to cheque for possible live explosives. They left empty-handed an hour later.
Fingerprint experts and crime scene detectives went in next to comb the area for clues. They found a torch at the back of the store and footprints.
“The guys entered the store through the roof and forced open the emergency exit door at the back to leave the building,” Sadie said.
As before, police found burnt cash notes scattered on the floor.
“It was a lot of money but useless as it was burnt. We are not dealing with ordinary criminals here. These guys are professionals who know exactly what they are doing. I don’t think they are from around here,” said a police officer on the scene who declined to be named.
“The store manager could not estimate the amount of money taken but said there was quite a lot of money in the safe because it was month end and the store was busy over the weekend. They were going to the bank on Monday,” he said.
Provincial police spokesman Lieutenant Khaya Tonjeni said there were no arrests yet and police were still following up on leads. “A case of housebreaking was opened at the Cambridge police station.”
Police are yet to make arrests in the Bidvest heist either.
Tonjeni said at the moment the latest robbery was being investigated independently of the Bidvest one. He said it was still early to speculate if the dockets would be combined.
The Bidvest case is being investigated by the Hawks in East London. Mambo’s has two branches in the province, the other in Port Elizabeth. Some people travel from as far as Mthatha for its products. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
Another heist through the roof
The robbery at Mambo’s Plastic Warehouse in Balfour Road had a similar method to a heist at Bidvest Bank nearby the weekend before.
It is believed suspects gained entry to Mambo’s through a hole in the roof. Once inside they disconnected the alarm systems and located the safe.
They attempted to break it open using gardening equipment and when that failed, used explosives to blow it open. The blast went off and the thieves cleaned out the safe and left the store unnoticed by residents nearby or patrol guards in the area.
In the Bidvest heist thieves made off with thousands in foreign currency and office equipment.
Mambo store manager Johan Sadie said he opened the store for business shortly after 8am and found a mess. He immediately called their security company and police.
Employees were barred from entering and customers were asked to come back later.
Police from the bomb disposal unit were sent to cheque for possible live explosives. They left empty-handed an hour later.
Fingerprint experts and crime scene detectives went in next to comb the area for clues. They found a torch at the back of the store and footprints.
“The guys entered the store through the roof and forced open the emergency exit door at the back to leave the building,” Sadie said.
As before, police found burnt cash notes scattered on the floor.
“It was a lot of money but useless as it was burnt. We are not dealing with ordinary criminals here. These guys are professionals who know exactly what they are doing. I don’t think they are from around here,” said a police officer on the scene who declined to be named.
“The store manager could not estimate the amount of money taken but said there was quite a lot of money in the safe because it was month end and the store was busy over the weekend. They were going to the bank on Monday,” he said.
Provincial police spokesman Lieutenant Khaya Tonjeni said there were no arrests yet and police were still following up on leads. “A case of housebreaking was opened at the Cambridge police station.”
Police are yet to make arrests in the Bidvest heist either.
Tonjeni said at the moment the latest robbery was being investigated independently of the Bidvest one. He said it was still early to speculate if the dockets would be combined.
The Bidvest case is being investigated by the Hawks in East London. Mambo’s has two branches in the province, the other in Port Elizabeth. Some people travel from as far as Mthatha for its products. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
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