Four robberies in Bay in seven hours
In one attack, three men robbed a guest house in Summerstrand
Image: File Picture
Four separate house robberies, one at a guesthouse with out-of-town visitors, took place in Nelson Mandela Bay within seven hours.
In one of the latest attacks, a three men broke into the Drifters Haven Guest House in Admiralty Way, Summerstrand, at about 3:15am on Friday.
Police spokesman Warrant Officer Alwin Labans said the three men, all wearing balaclavas, broke into bedrooms at the guest house while the visitors were asleep.
Labans said when the men got into the guest house, they went from room to room robbing the guests.
Three guests in total were robbed. They were from East London, Durban and Johannesburg.
A 50-year-old woman managed to run to the bathroom and locked herself inside while the suspects robbed her room.
“The woman woke to one of the suspects standing inside the bedroom while the other two men were busy entering. The panicked woman managed to jump out of [the] bed and locked herself inside the bathroom,” Labans said.
“The men continued stealing items inside the rooms before taking off with several pairs of takkies, a laptop and bank cards.”
Less than two hours prior to the robbery, another woman was robbed, also by three men wearing balaclavas, in Mcilwraith Street, also in Summerstrand.
“The 53-year-old home owner got out of bed to let her dog outside."As she opened the security gate to walk outside, three men pushed her back into the house,” he said.
“The one suspect held her while the other two ran to the kitchen and grabbed cellphones other items.”
Asked if it is possibly the same gang that targeted both premises in Summerstrand, Labans said that it was possible and would form part of the investigation.
In another robbery, at 6am on Friday, two men kicked open the front door of a home in Anita Drive, Gelvandale, and held the occupants at gunpoint.
“The men stole a television and cellphones before fleeing,” he said.
On Thursday night, shortly before midnight, a 50-year-old woman was robbed inside her Qunu Street home in Bethesldorp.
“The woman was sleeping inside the house when she was woken to someone kicking the front door.
"The suspect got into the house and held the woman at knife point, before stealing cellphones and money,” Labans said.
In all the house robberies, no one was injured.
All four house robberies are under investigation by police.