Couple held captive, beaten with sticks
durban30102012. house robbed in Westville. durban30102012. house robbed in Westville.
Durban - Three robbers, who beat a Westville couple and held them captive for two hours, were forced to flee almost empty-handed after inadvertently pressing the panic button on Tuesday morning.
But that wasn’t the extent of their troubles – they also managed to botch their getaway, by wrecking the clutch of the couple’s car, which they had loaded up with their loot, including three TV sets and a sound system. They abandoned the stalled car and fled, taking with them only the small items they could carry.
The Dawncliffe couple – aged 57 and 61 – asked not to be named, because they feared for their lives after being assaulted, tied up and locked in their bathroom while the suspects ransacked their home after midnight.
Recalling the ordeal, they described it as “horrendous”, saying the robbers threatened to kill them while demanding money, cellphones, bank cards with pin codes, as well as guns and jewellery.
It is believed that they entered the home through a window while the couple was asleep.
“My wife saw a face looking into hers and she screamed,” the man said. “Soon after, I woke up and they started assaulting us with sticks while they tied us up with Sellotape and made us lie on the floor at the edge of the bed. That’s when they made demands and threatened to kill us
.”
He said the suspects’ faces were partially covered, but they looked young – possibly in their twenties.
“They ransacked the house while we sat there. They brought the goods to one central point and asked for a car. While we were locked in the bathroom and told to keep quiet, they loaded the vehicle,” the homeowner said. “All we could hear was the revving of the car, but we did not understand what was happening. After that, the alarm went off at about 3.40am.”
It is believed that the suspects were fidgeting with the car remote in trying to open the driveway gate; instead they pressed the panic button.
“Eventually they reversed out of the driveway,” the man said. “They rammed the gate until they broke it, taking it off the hinges and damaging it. Soon after, ADT arrived and they unlocked the bathroom door. To our surprise, the car was abandoned outside the gate with the things inside
.”
Three television sets, a music system and a DVD player were found in the car.
When the couple assessed the damage, they found that the suspects had dropped a tub of ice-cream on the driveway and there was spilt cooldrink all over. There was also items of clothing lying around the premises. Only the couple’s cellphones were missing.
Police and paramedics responded to the distress call.
Police spokesman, Captain Thulani Zwane, said a case of house robbery was being investigated. “No arrests have been made as yet,” he said.
A few houses away from the couple’s home, an attempted house break-in was reported.
It could not be determined if the same suspects were responsible.
Daily News