Robbers vanish into thin air

FOUR armed robbers who targeted a cash-loan company in Windhoek’s city centre yesterday morning vanished after they failed to find any money on the premises.

The four men entered Africash Loans, situated in the Eluwa building between Shoprite and Pick ‘n Pay, just as the day’s business started. They pretended to be customers, but then grabbed the three employees on duty, as well as the only customer, and tied them up with duct tape.They then looked for a safe, but finding none on the premises, instead robbed their hostages of their personal belongings, including cellphones and cash.They also hit one of the Africash employees in the face, breaking her nose and spectacles, according to Natasha Pretorius, a legal secretary at Roets, Theron & Partners Attorneys, situated next door.Attorney Chris Roets from Roets, Theron & Partners also owns Africash.The suspects then asked the workers where the safe was kept, and left for the attorney’s offices when they were told it was there.While this was going on, Pretorius said, employees from other businesses in the building noticed that something was wrong and phoned the Police.One of the tied-up employees also managed to break free and signalled for the Police to be called.”They were really fast,” said one bystander about the Police.Pretorius agrees, saying that the Police were on the scene within moments of being phoned.From the time of the incident just after 08h00, members of the City Police as well as the Serious Crime Unit searched the entire building, including the roof, until about 10h00.However, no trace of any of the suspects could be found.Police Spokesperson Chief Inspector Angula Amulungu confirmed that no one had been arrested by yesterday afternoon.Owner Roets closed both Africash and his legal offices yesterday following the incident.He confirmed that nothing belonging to the business had been stolen, but that “they only managed to turn the offices upside down.”The employee whose nose had been broken was taken to hospital, and according to Pretorius she also suffered from shock.They pretended to be customers, but then grabbed the three employees on duty, as well as the only customer, and tied them up with duct tape.They then looked for a safe, but finding none on the premises, instead robbed their hostages of their personal belongings, including cellphones and cash.They also hit one of the Africash employees in the face, breaking her nose and spectacles, according to Natasha Pretorius, a legal secretary at Roets, Theron & Partners Attorneys, situated next door.Attorney Chris Roets from Roets, Theron & Partners also owns Africash.The suspects then asked the workers where the safe was kept, and left for the attorney’s offices when they were told it was there.While this was going on, Pretorius said, employees from other businesses in the building noticed that something was wrong and phoned the Police.One of the tied-up employees also managed to break free and signalled for the Police to be called.”They were really fast,” said one bystander about the Police.Pretorius agrees, saying that the Police were on the scene within moments of being phoned.From the time of the incident just after 08h00, members of the City Police as well as the Serious Crime Unit searched the entire building, including the roof, until about 10h00.However, no trace of any of the suspects could be found.Police Spokesperson Chief Inspector Angula Amulungu confirmed that no one had been arrested by yesterday afternoon.Owner Roets closed both Africash and his legal offices yesterday following the incident.He confirmed that nothing belonging to the business had been stolen, but that “they only managed to turn the offices upside down.”The employee whose nose had been broken was taken to hospital, and according to Pretorius she also suffered from shock.