Broad daylight jewellery store heists, in shopping malls, seem to have become a regular thing.

Last year, Cape Town jewellery stores were the target of a series of armed robberies, all of which happened early in the day, and often in busy, populated locations.

Just before the hard lockdown kicked in, a haul of jewellery was liberated from a store inside the Westgate shopping centre in Roodepoort.

When restrictions were eased back in August, robbers were quick to resume operations, hitting two stores, in two separate provinces.

Now that you’re up to speed with what looks like a nationwide trend, let’s check out the latest, brazen, armed attack on a jewellery store, this time in Durban at Gateway Mall on Sunday, November 7 at 10AM.

News24 reports that KwaZulu Natal police have launched a manhunt after a gang of criminals smashed the glass of Narandas Jewellers, before terrorising staff and making off with an undisclosed amount of merchandise and other items.

Here’s a simple play-by-play. First, around eight men smashed the glass of the store before entering.

Once inside, they looted:

Police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbhele says that “no shots were fired, and no injuries have been reported”.

Per IOL, Gateway marketing manager Michelle Shelley confirmed this.

“The suspects made off with an undisclosed amount of merchandise. No tenants or customers were harmed during the incident. The Mall’s security as well as the South African Police Service (SAPS) immediately responded to the scene. The safety and security of our shoppers and tenants is of utmost importance to Gateway and we are working with the SAPS to assist in this investigation. The area has been secured,” Shelley said.

You can see the aftermath of the robbery and the damage to the store below:

A case of business robbery has been opened and the incident is under investigation.

[sources:news24&iol]