Robbers hit another pizza place
2006-11-23
“YOU don’t know what it feels like to have a gun pointing at your head.”
These were the words of the shocked owner of Debonairs Pizza in Lady Grey Street, Paarl, after he and two staff members were held up at gunpoint by armed robbers on Monday morning.
The drama unfolded shortly after 09:00 as staff were preparing the shop for the day’s business.
The owner was summoned to the locked front door by someone who looked like a policeman.
“On Saturday evening one of my drivers was robbed in Amstelhof while delivering pizza. I sent him to the police station to report the matter,” he explained.
“When I saw a man at my door on Monday wearing a blue jacket which resembled that of a police officer, I immediately thought that it was about the robbery on Saturday evening.
“He flashed what looked like an identity badge at me, and said that he wanted to talk to me about ‘a problem at my shop’.
“I became suspicious but he forced his way into the shop and two accomplices joined him.
“Two of the men held firearms to our heads while the other grabbed one of my kitchen knives.”
The robbers demanded money and seemed to know exactly where everything in the shop was.
“I explained to them that I did not keep large amounts of cash here. They took my wallet and cellphone and I pleaded with them to leave my wallet with all my cards and identity documents.
“By some miracle they actually removed the money from it and threw the wallet on the floor.
“They then strapped up our hands with masking-tape before locking us in the store room.
“I managed to free myself and escaped through the ceiling to the back of my shop and I was then able to summon the police from a neighbouring restaurant.”
Once back in his shop, the owner (who declined to be named) found that the robbers had fled with the money in the tills as well as three cordless telephones.
“I am absolutely devastated about the robbery.”
No one has been arrested in connection with the robbery but the police are currently investigating all possible leads.
Another pizza take-away shop, St Elmo’s in Main Street, fell victim to an armed robbery almost two months ago.
Members of staff had just opened the shop one Sunday morning when they were overwhelmed by three robbers and then locked up in the cloakroom.
The men escaped with a large amount of cash. One man from Kuilsriver has been apprehended in connection with the incident.
More
News
|
