Durban — An elderly man was locked in a bathroom by a gang of four armed suspects who allegedly assaulted him, before ransacking his house for valuables and fleeing in his vehicle.
Marshall Security managing director Tyron Powell said that on Tuesday, his team members responded to a house robbery in Umgeni Park where they freed a trapped victim, recovered the stolen car and assisted with the victim’s medical care.
Powell said that at about 4.40pm, the Marshall Security Emergency Dispatch Centre received a distress call from a member of the public reporting a house robbery at their premises on Wedgwood Crescent in Umgeni Park.
He said that multiple response officers and members of their Special Operations Team were immediately dispatched.
“Upon arrival, it was established that the homeowner had returned home to find that the driveway gate had been forced open and their partner was locked in the bathroom. The victim had been held up and severely assaulted by four armed suspects before being forced into the bathroom after ransacking the entire house for valuables. Two of the suspects were armed with firearms and the other two with knives,” Powell said.
“Our armed response officers acted swiftly to free the trapped victim by cutting open the bathroom window burglar bars. It was then discovered that the victim’s Mercedes Benz C200 had been stolen during the robbery. The victim’s phone was also taken which prevented them activating the tracking device.”
Powell said that their armed response officer assisted the victim in contacting Bidtrack Tracking to activate the tracking device. Shortly thereafter, members of their Special Ops Team were activated to assist Bidtrack Tracking in locating the stolen vehicle.
“Within 11 minutes of being activated, the stolen vehicle was recovered at 5.18pm on Raymond Place in the Cato Manor area, where it had been abandoned by the suspects,” Powell said.
He said that Netcare 911 paramedics treated the victim who had sustained moderate injuries and required intermediate life support to be stabilised on the scene before he was taken to hospital.
Powell said that the Marshall Investigations team was called to the scene to assist with the investigation.
He said Marshall Security would like to extend its appreciation to all the teams involved in the recovery of the stolen vehicle and to all the community policing forum members and Umgeni Neighbourhood Watch for offering assistance at the scene.
“Our thoughts go out to the victim and his family. We hope for their full and speedy recovery,” Powell said.
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the Greenwood Park police are investigating a case of house robbery following an incident where a 77-year-old man was allegedly accosted by four armed suspects while sleeping at his residence in Wedgewood Crescent.
“The victim was reportedly robbed of his vehicle and other belongings such as cellphone, jewellery, TV and laptop. His vehicle was later recovered at the Cato Manor sports ground.”
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