Durban – Three robbers, who beat a Westville couple and held them captive for two hours, were forced to flee almost empty-handed after inadvertently pressing the panic button on Tuesday morning.

But that wasn’t the extent of their troubles – they also managed to botch their getaway, by wrecking the clutch of the couple’s car, which they had loaded up with their loot, including three TV sets and a sound system. They abandoned the stalled car and fled, taking with them only the small items they could carry.

The Dawncliffe couple – aged 57 and 61 – asked not to be named, because they feared for their lives after being assaulted, tied up and locked in their bathroom while the suspects ransacked their home after midnight.

Recalling the ordeal, they described it as “horrendous”, saying the robbers threatened to kill them while demanding money, cellphones, bank cards with pin codes, as well as guns and jewellery.

It is believed that they entered the home through a window while the couple was asleep.

“My wife saw a face looking into hers and she screamed,” the man said. “Soon after, I woke up and they started assaulting us with sticks while they tied us up with Sellotape and made us lie on the floor at the edge of the bed. That’s when they made demands and threatened to kill us.

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