Four men forcibly entered a filling station in Batho on Sunday (1/10) near Bloemfontein and robbed the place. One of the petrol attendants was injured.

Police spokesperson Joseph Covane said a response team, consisting of members from the Bloemfontein Flying Squad, Batho Visible Policing Unit, and Private Security Companies, reacted to an alarm triggered at the filling station. “The unidentified men entered the store at the filling station, with two of them carrying firearms. The suspects threatened the workers and ordered them to lie down.”  

One of the assailants struck a petrol attendant with his firearm, causing a head wound. The suspects proceeded to steal an undisclosed amount of money from the cash registers. They also robbed a victim of her cell phone, identity card, cash, and other personal belongings.

Cell phones, a weapon, a toy gun, and cash were recovered from the 20-year-old foreign national. Photo supplied

Covane said another victim was robbed of his driver's license card, bank cards, and money. The suspects then fled the scene on foot. A team of police officers and security personnel was dispatched to search for the suspects in the area.

“Eventually, one suspect, a 20-year-old male foreign national, was tracked down and apprehended on Tona Street. During the arrest, authorities recovered three cellular phones (a Huawei, Nokia, and Samsung), a toy replica of a real pistol, and cash, all of which were confiscated.”  

A case docket was opened at the Batho Police Station, citing charges of business robbery along with other offences. The suspect is in police custody and is expected to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court soon.

OFM News