POLICE in KwaZulu-Natal have nabbed three suspects allegedly involved in the armed robbery at the Woolworths food store in Glenwood.
The robbery, which took place just after 5pm on Wednesday, left the Glenwood community shaken. The suspects made off with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Thulani Zwane confirmed the arrests of three men.
“Three suspects aged between 28 and 48 arrested for business robbery at Woolworth last Wednesday,” he said.
The three are expected to appear in court soon.
At the time, Independent Media reported that four suspects had been involved in the robbery, with one of them armed. They reportedly confronted the manager and demanded cash from the cashiers while customers were told to lay on the ground.
At the time, Zwane said Umbilo police were investigating a business robbery case after the four suspects fled the scene in a grey car with an undisclosed amount of cash.
The Umbilo Community Policing Forum said the community had been left shaken by the robbery.
“They demanded money from the cashiers and demanded money from the safe at the back. No one was harmed thankfully, but the customers and the staff were left shaken,” she said.
The CPF was in disbelief that such a robbery would take place at 5pm – when the store is at its busiest.
“This incident has rattled the residents quite a bit. We have to all be alert and look out for one another. Thank goodness no gunshots were fired. All the customers complied when they commanded them to lie on the floor. No one had the time to be a hero,” she said.
Rorick said a volunteer who works with local crime prevention organisations reported that the brazen suspects had even greeted him before the robbery.
“They (criminals) are getting braver now,” she said.
On Friday, Woolworths said they were shocked about the incident and were working with the police.
“We were shocked to hear of the armed robbery at our Glenwood food store on Bulwer Ave. We are working closely with the South African Police Service to assist where we can with their investigation. We are ensuring that our employees are receiving support in dealing with this traumatic experience. Thankfully, none of our customers or employees were seriously injured in the incident.”