Robbers threaten to kill child during Northdale house break-in
The Witness reports that, according to a police source, the grandmother and her grandchild were at home on Wednesday morning when the two intruders, both wearing caps and face masks, gained entry through the unlocked front door and security gate.
One of the men grabbed her granddaughter and held a knife to her throat. When she screamed, the second man pressed a knife to her neck, telling her to keep quiet.
'They took her and her granddaughter at knifepoint to the first bedroom, ordered her to open the cupboards, but found nothing of value.
'They then moved to a second, locked bedroom and demanded she unlock it.
'After searching those cupboards and finding nothing, they checked the trap door in the ceiling before taking her to the main bedroom.
'There, they saw one of the drawers had a lock and ordered her to open it.
'The suspects threatened her, making it clear they would kill her granddaughter if she refused.
'She told them to wait, retrieved the key, and unlocked the drawer,' said the police officer.
Fortunately, both the grandmother and grandchild managed to break free and raise the alarm.
The granddaughter freed herself and ran down the passage.
'The grandmother followed her into the kitchen, where she pressed the panic button and phoned her son.
'Shortly afterwards, her son and ADT [security officers] arrived,' he said.
Meanwhile, the armed robbers fled the scene with a pink cosmetic bag containing jewellery.
Mountain Rise SAPS CPF chairperson Sham Govender said they would work with police to increase patrols in the area.
'We strongly condemn this incident. As the CPF, we appeal to the community to make sure doors are locked and that residents do not place themselves in vulnerable situations.
'We are also glad the occupants were not injured in this case,' said Govender.
Mountain Rise SAPS spokesperson Warrant Officer Pancheal Singh said a case of house robbery is being investigated. No arrests have yet been made.
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