Free State police spokesperson, Motantsi Makhele, tells OFM News when employees of the said retailer returned to work on Monday morning, they found that the culprits had accessed the drop safe without damaging it, managing to flee with the money without being detected. Upon further inspection, police discovered the crafty burglars had gained entry to the safe via the storeroom ceiling.

The unknown number of suspects are believed to have entered the storeroom, then made their way from that room to the drop safe room using the ceiling. Makhele says a case of business burglary has been opened for further investigation. The suspects are still at large.

It was initially reported that a robbery had taken place at the retailer. Makhele has since corrected this misinformation, explaining that it was a burglary, and no violence was reported as is indicated above. The health and beauty retailer in question is yet to comment on the incident.

The most recent national crime statistics, covering the first quarter of the 2020/21 financial year, which includes the pandemic months of April, May, and June, reveal burglaries at non-residential premises in the Free State, thus far, have dropped by 8,1%, from 1 362 in 2019/20 to 1 251 cases in 2020/21. The drop in burglaries at residential premises in the province has been more significant, with a reported 29,4% drop in reported cases between 2019/20 and 2020/21.

The incident comes almost two months since four men between the ages of 32 and 45 years old, were arrested for their alleged involvement in the robbery of a Senekal retailer. Makhele said at the time that the suspects were spotted fleeing the scene in a silver VW polo with GP registration number plates. The police’s tactical response team division was mobilised following the robbery and they managed to track the suspects to a house in the Bohlokong township in Bethlehem on the day of the robbery.

OFM News