A businessman, who hails from Pakistan, has been left in complete shock, after he was robbed in the Laudium CBD, of an undisclosed amount of cash, by two armed thugs.
Rajendra Patel (39) believes that he was watched and followed from the Forest Hill Mall, to Laudium, after having made a cash withdrawal at the FNB branch. When he arrived in Laudium, he was robbed on 4th Avenue by the brazen duo, this past Wednesday, November 29, at around 12:40pm.
Speaking to the Laudium Sun, witness to the armed robbery, Dishaan Naidoo (24), who is a manager at SZ Furniture store, on 4th Avenue said, “I was standing outside, as we were just finishing up loading stock that had to be delivered, when I saw these guys pull up in a grey BMW. Seconds later, as the passenger got out of the car, a white VW Polo, without number plates pulled up alongside him. One thug jumped out of the Polo, brandishing a gun and snatched the parcel that the guy [Rajendra] was carrying and then snatched the keys of the BMW from the driver. To my utter shock, the driver of the Polo got out and punctured a tyre of the BMW, before the criminal duo made a hasty getaway down 9th Avenue,” Dishaan related disbelievingly.
The 24 year old continued, “The house next door to our store, has CCTV cameras, on which we were able to view the entire robbery just minutes after it happened! The police were informed of the robbery and the CCTV footage was also handed over to them. I just can’t believe that these guys were so daring and could rob someone in the middle of the street, in broad daylight. I heard the victim saying that he believes he was followed by the criminals, after withdrawing cash at the bank!
“I hope these guys are caught soon! A lesson for us to learn, is that we should be more aware of our surroundings, especially when making cash transactions. We see this all too often, especially now in December. These crooks are going to take all sorts of chances over the festive season,” Dishaan concluded.
Speaking to the Laudium Sun, a visibly shaken Rajendra said that he was still traumatised after the robbery, but added that he was praying that the criminals responsible, are caught soon.
*CCTV footage of the robbery can be viewed on the Laudium Sun WhatsApp group or on our Facebook page.
Rajendra’s BMW with a flat tyre parked at the spot on 4th Avenue, Laudium, where he was robbed.
4th Avenue store manager, Dishaan Naidoo, witnessed the armed robbery.