Over the past two weeks, more than 10 known nightly break-ins occurred in Protea Heights and surrounds where groups of burglars gained entry by removing the front-facing small front windows below the burglar bars.
“The window gets removed while the residents are sleeping and burglars take everything in the house they can carry. In two cases they even took the cellphones off the bedside tables right next to the sleeping residents,” says Carla Lourens, owner of C-Max Armed Security Services.
All these burglaries occurred between Vergenoegd and Angelier streets between the hours of 04:00 and 05:30, according to Lourens.
“In another two cases they did the same, but loaded all the stolen goods into the homeowners car and left with it. In one of these cases a stolen bank card was used with the tap option after the break-in.”
In one instance the homeowners woke up.
“Luckily they had a security gate to secure the bedrooms. They watched from the other side as the burglars ransacked the house.”
She urges residents to put burglar bars on these windows.
“We need residents to be aware and understand that these groups are not scared to enter your home, while you are in it or have lights on in your property indicating that you are home,” she says.
It is an ongoing matter.
The last three incidents took place on Saturday and Sunday night.
Police and security companies chased after the burglars, one group in a vehicle and the other on foot; but both groups managed to get away.
