East London jewellery store offers large reward after heist

The mugshots of five millionaire diamond thieves are being splashed in public by Browns Jewellers in a bid to get the public to help bring the robbers in.

The gang of four men and a woman heisted Browns Jewellers in Hemingways on Thursday, cleaning out the shop of diamonds and other precious stones valued at about R2m.

The business has hit back, offering R250,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects.

Browns Jewellers’ security risk manager Carel Westraad said they had put a price of R50,000 per head for information, adding up to a total of R250,000.

The photographs were taken on the mall’s CCTV cameras.

The robbers are estimated to be between 30 and 45 years of age.

The Dispatch was told by the mall’s general manager Reinett van Tonder that two of the suspects had pretended to be a couple looking for an engagement ring.

Then they pulled out guns, and were joined by three more suspects who shunted the staff, minus their cellphones, into a back room and ran off with the diamonds and three cellphones.

Cambridge police spokesperson Captain Mluleki Mbi said no arrests had been made.

Mbi said the docket had been handed over to the Hawks.

Westraad said anyone with information should contact him on 083-555-5536 or call a Col Middleton on 082-779-7150.

He said: “We are not opened for trading, probably won’t open for the next two days while we get everything back in order.

“We will probably know the value of the loss next week.”

Terrified shop owners told the Dispatch on Thursday of how they had closed their doors and metal shutters.