On Thursday, robbers were reportedly caught and arrested in Cape Town CBD with cigarettes and cash worth thousands of rands.
The Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID) reportedly said that the robbers held up a convenience store called Friend’s Café.
CCID spokesperson Sharon Sorour-Morris reportedly said, “The robbery happened in broad daylight at Friend’s Café, on the corner of Long and Castle streets, when three men stormed into the store and held up the shopkeeper at knifepoint.”
The three men allegedly fled the scene on foot, carrying three bags allegedly filled with cartons of cigarettes, two cellphones, money and a watch.
According to a statement by the CCID, public safety officers were alerted of the robbery and pursued the robbers. Two out of the three men were caught and all the stolen goods were recovered.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana has confirmed that a case of business robbery was opened and is being investigated.
“The local security acted swiftly and apprehended two suspects, aged 25 and 26, and recovered the robbed [sic] property. Once they are charged, the suspects will appear in court,” said Sergeant Rwexana.
CCID manager of safety and security, Mo Hendricks, said crime across all categories in the CBD had decreased since the national lockdown was enforced on 26 March.
The CCID’s recent statistics revealed that crime in the city’s CBD has dropped by 76%, with only 35 crimes that have recorded between 27 March and 15 April, in comparison with the 151 crime related incidents during the same time period last year.
