Criminals broke into a filling station at Mbokota village last Saturday night and blasted open a safe before fleeing with more than R30 000 in cash.

The spokesperson for the Waterval police, W/O Risimati Masonto, confirmed the incident and said that the police were investigating a case of housebreaking and theft. He said that explosives had been used to open the safe. The police recovered a small amount of cash at the scene.

"The incident happened at about 01:55," said Masonto. "It appeared that the suspects first broke into the room where the safe was kept, before bombing it," he said. He added that it also appeared as if the criminals had gained entrance to the room through the windows that had also been vandalized. The suspects are still at large.

Masonto is now appealing to members of the community who have any information that can assist the police to contact them. "Whoever has information regarding what had happened is not even supposed to reveal his or her identity, but just furnish the police with information. The matter will be treated as confidential, so that the suspects can be arrested," he said.

Anyone with information can contact the Waterval police at 015 5568000.