Two men were injured in a shooting when a gang of armed men held up a jewellery store at The Boulders shopping centre in Midrand on Wednesday.

At about 10.25am, seven men entered the centre via its western, ground-level entrance, just in front of the Pick n Pay.

They headed for the NWJ Jewellery store, just a few shops to the left.

Once inside, they held up the two shop assistants, stealing an undisclosed amount of jewellery before departing. But running towards the entrance, the unmasked gang encountered two centre employees pushing rows of trolleys from the parking lot to the Pick n Pay.

The gang opened fire, hitting one of the men in the thigh and the other in the buttocks.

“We didn’t hear the shots, but we were alerted to the incident when we heard the screaming,” said Boulders marketing manager Melisandy Jeffries.

By the time the centre management made their way downstairs, police and paramedics were already on the scene, treating the injured men. But the robbers were gone.

“The suspects escaped on foot, running in different directions,” said police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Tshisikhawe Ndou.

“Their Ford Bantam bakkie was abandoned in the parking lot.”

No arrests have been made, though police are investigating a case of armed robbery and attempted murder.

The two injured employees were taken to hospital, where they are said to be in a stable condition.

The shopping centre is arranging for counselling for the shopkeepers. “The staff are traumatised,” said Jeffries.

 

Mark Madeisky, the general manager of NWJ, recounted the incident: “Three well-dressed men entered the store under the guise that they were looking at engagement rings.

“The men showed their firearms and told staff not to alert security.

“They then opened the gate for another two men carrying bags, demanded the keys to display cabinets, and packed the trays of jewellery into their bags.

“As the robbers were leaving, the store manager activated the smoke alarm, hoping it would alert security.

“The robbers then fired shots into the mall”, and two people were wounded.

“It has been confirmed that neither of the victims is in a critical condition,” Madeisky said.

 

Long trail of big robberies

OCTOBER 2010

* Captain Ananda Pedlar was shot and killed and her husband Patrick injured during a robbery at the NWJ branch at Carnival Mall in Brakpan.

* Three days later, Kevin McLoughlin, the owner of NWJ Jewellers in Northgate, was gunned down and killed at Northgate NWJ. Four others were injured.

DECEMBER 2010

* Four police officers were arrested for the alleged armed robbery of the Gold and Diamond Exchange in Harrison Street in the Joburg CBD.

2011

* A police officer was shot and killed, allegedly with an R5 rifle, after reacting to a robbery at a nearby jewellery shop at the Signet Terrace shopping complex in Lenasia.

* In December, a police sergeant was killed outside a mall in Germiston when six robbers opened fire on him during another jewellery store robbery. Five suspects were arrested within two days.

2012

* In April The Star reported on robbers wearing ADT uniforms targeting jewellery stores in Killarney, Bedfordview and Sandton.

The Star