Police are investigating a possible link between two robberies, within four hours of each other, at malls in Kenilworth and Claremont, on Monday August 12.
Five men smashed display cabinets at Kenilworth Centre’s Foschini at 11am and took an undisclosed number of cellphones, according to Claremont police station commander Colonel Maree Louw.
The robbers fled in a silver Chevrolet SUV with false number plates.
“One firearm was seen, and they were seen exiting the mall via Doncaster Road,” said Colonel Louw.
There were no injuries or shots fired, she said.
The Foschini Group’s head of security and forensics, Francois Hugo, said they were co-operating with the police investigation.
“It is alleged that there were five suspects, one was armed with a gun and hammer,” he said.
Mr Hugo said the company was providing counselling for its employees.
Less than four hours later, at 2.30pm, five men robbed Kamaldien Jewellers at Cavendish Square, in Claremont.
Colonel Louw said the robbers took “an undisclosed amount of jewellery” without firing any shots.
The gang left in a white Ford Fiesta with black side mirrors.
An unnamed Cavendish Square spokesperson said the mall’s tactical team and the police had responded immediately. No injuries were reported
This is the second time in less than four months that Kamaldien Jewellers has been robbed.
Four robbers took an estimated R1.5 million worth of jewellery from it in May (“Cavendish jewellery store robbed,” Southern Suburbs Tatler, May 16). Those robbers are still at large.
There has been a string of jewellery store heists and mall robberies in recent weeks, and Claremont Community Police Forum chair Abdul Kerbelker has called for greater police presence around malls.
Other jewellery store robberies include:
Diamond Works in the CBD on Friday July 5.
The Mount Nelson’s jewellery store on Tuesday July 16.
Uwe Koetter Jewellers at the Cape Quarter Lifestyle Village in Green Point on Wednesday July 31. A Ford Fiesta was also used as a getaway vehicle in that robbery.
Van Deijl Jewellers at Tyger Valley shopping centre on Wednesday August 7.
Colonel Louw said police were investigating whether the same gang had pulled off both of Monday’s robberies, but no arrests had been made.
Kamaldien Jewellers declined to comment.
