Armed robbers tamper with gate motor to gain entry to Umhlanga home

Blue Security has warned residents to ensure that gate motors are always kept locked following a brazen armed robbery in Umhlanga, where a gang jumped over a gate and tampered with its motor to gain entry on Friday afternoon.
Blue Security community and media liaison officer Andreas Mathios said the gang jumped over the driveway gate of the property in Ridge Road at around 4.45pm and then managed to get into the gate motor box to trigger the open button.
“They then drove into the premises in a white vehicle and kicked in the front door to gain entry into the house, where they confronted an elderly couple and pushed them into the lounge. The gang, which was armed with firearms, wearing gloves and had their faces partially covered, searched the couple and robbed them of their cellphones, jewellery and a wallet that contained cash,” Mathios said.
“The robbers then ransacked the house, searching the rooms for valuables. They loaded a television, a microwave and other electronic devices into their vehicle and fled the scene. No injuries were reported,” Mathios said.
Durban North SAPS attended the scene of the crime.
Mathios advised residents to check their gate motor box to ensure it is locked, to make it more difficult for criminals to tamper with it. “If you have had any work done to your gate motor always make sure that the box is locked afterwards. If possible gate motors should be installed far away enough from the gate so that criminals cannot tamper with the box from outside by sticking their hands through the fence. Locking the motor box may not always prevent determined criminals from gaining entry, but it will slow them down and give you more time to call for help in the event of an incident,” Mathios said.
Mathios added that opportunistic criminals also targeted gate motor batteries that were easy to steal.
“In some cases criminals have stolen gate motor batteries from the same property repeatedly just because they are easy to access and break into from the outside,” Mathios said.