Bystanders in the Eltivillas Shopping Complex were shocked to hear gunshots fired and see a white Almera sedan speeding off on Monday this week.

Even more shocked were the shop owners who were held at gunpoint and had to hand over every cent they had. The white Almera used in the robbery is connected with an armed robbery earlier the same day on the Elim Road near Beja.

The armed robbery in town took place at 17:30 at the AV Mohammed & Sons shop in Eltivillas on July 3. According to the police, the robbers parked in front of the shop. There were three black males inside.

Two of them allegedly went into the shop and demanded money from the shop owner, who wants to stay anonymous, at gunpoint. Three shots were fired into the pavement directly in front of the shop after which the robbers sped off. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident.

The owner’s son was with him while he was being held at gunpoint. He managed to give a description of one of the robbers. He had a very dark complexion and was wearing a blue jacket and a black cap. They apparently used 9mm pistols during the robbery.

The owner’s two brothers, both businessmen from town, accompanied their brother to the AV Mohammed shop where the cash for the respective businesses would be kept. The two brothers were already at their vehicles when the thugs confronted the owner and his son, who were busy locking up. They declined to give an estimate of the stolen cash.

The LT Security company was on the scene within minutes and the police reacted quickly. It was unofficially reported that the vehicle was last seen in the Bandelierkop area.

“It was a tremendous trauma. It happened so quickly. They are so arrogant. They fired the shots in the direction of the ground to warn us that they could kill us. The bullets could have bounced back. All the while, people were looking on. There is really no law and order in this country,” were some of the comments the shocked brothers made.

At the time of going to press, no arrests had been made.