Westville couple accosted by armed robbers

A Westville couple was lucky to escape an armed robbery without serious injury when two men held them up in their home this morning.
Blue Security community and media liaison officer Andreas Mathios said the couple was held up in their Methven Road home at around 9.45am, after a white Toyota Corolla had earlier been seen driving suspiciously up and down the road.
“The resident noticed the vehicle driving slowly along the road and then two suspects, one armed with a firearm and the other with a knife, suddenly jumped over the fence of the property and ambushed him from behind,” Mathios said. “They held him up at gunpoint and told him to keep quiet, while the second suspect searched him, taking his wallet which contained cash, his driver’s license and credit card, as well as his cellphone and car keys,” Mathios said.
Mathios said his wife, who was inside the house at the time, heard the commotion and came outside where the suspects were assaulting her husband. “She turned and ran straight back inside the house and pressed the panic alarm to call for help. One of the suspects also went into the house and grabbed a 32 inch Samsung LCD television and loaded it into the resident’s vehicle.”
The suspects fled the scene in the resident’s vehicle which was later found abandoned in Claremont. “Fortunately the resident did not sustain any major injuries during the robbery and he did not require any immediate medical attention,” Mathios said.
Westville SAPS attended the scene of the crime.
Mathios advised residents to always quickly report any suspicious activity such as unfamiliar vehicles cruising up and down the neighbourhood, as well as any loiterers who could be staking out a property before striking. “Always report suspicious activity to your local security company and to the police as proactive policing goes a long way to deterring criminals,” Mathios said.
Two other similar incidents occurred earlier this month where robbers ambushed residents from behind while they were outside, a Kloof man was repeatedly stabbed and a Durban North woman was bound and blindfolded.