The community of Merebank is at the mercy of a gang of marauding robbers, who are not only terrorising the close-knit community, but are robbing innocent residents of their valuables and hard-earned cash.

Residents of Lakhimpur Road were the latest victims as their home was broken into on Saturday night while they were away.

Gold jewellery, which was of sentimental value to the family, was stolen. Darryn Nair, a resident of the home, said he received an alarming phone call from his cousin on Sunday, informing him of the incident.

Nair lives in the outbuilding while his parents, sister and niece live in the main house where the break-in occurred. The family had attended a funeral and was on their way home from Johannesburg.

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Nair believes that the thieves jumped over the fence in the backyard and broke open the padlock on the gate. They then gained entry into the house through the window of his sister’s bedroom. The family, which has three dogs, a Pitbull, Rottweiler, a Pekingese, believe the dogs were most likely fed something so they would not attack the perpetrators.

He further claimed the robbers ransacked the bedroom and left the cupboards open but nothing of value was taken.

Homeowner, Bonnie Nair, added that the thieves only took gold jewellery and left all the imitation jewellery behind. He further claimed that his wife had locked their bedroom door because that’s where they had kept their jewellery.

“I think they became suspicious as to why the door was locked and managed to break it open. They ransacked the room and we found items scattered all over the bed. The cupboard where all the jewellery was kept, was also locked but had been broken open. This is when they found the two safes I had stored in there. One safe was opened using butter knives and the other they couldn’t open so they took it away. This safe had my firearm in there,” said a distressed Nair.

In a separate incident, another resident living in Warangal Road claims her house was also broken into on Saturday while she and her husband were away at a prayer. The woman, who lives with her husband, believes that they were watched before they left home and has an idea of who the perpetrators might be.

The resident who spoke on condition of anonymity as she feared for her safety, claims the thieves removed four tiles on the roof and came in through the ceiling in her bedroom. Upon returning home, she became worried when she noticed that the lights were on.

She and her husband also noticed footprints and handprints around the house as it had been raining on that day and the criminals had left dirt stains around the house.

“We also noticed that the curtains in our bedroom had been drawn and had stains on them. The thieves tried to bend the burglar guards in the dining room door but it has a lock so they did not succeed. They went through every drawer in my room and everything was turned upside down. They took all our jewellery and money, including my husband’s watch, the only watch he has left is the one he was wearing on the day. Even though insurance will cover the losses that we incurred, we will never get back the sentimental value attached to those items,” she said.

Community activist, Yusuf Vawda, expressed his disappointment at the SAPS forensic team for not addressing the issue with immediate effect.

He claimed that even though the break-ins occurred on Saturday, the victims were still awaiting the forensics team to come in and take fingerprints on Monday.

“The victims have an indication of who the perpetrators are, however, it is crucial to the case that the forensic department addresses the issue with urgency. The fingerprints are visible and they are all over the place. Residents don’t want to continue living in a crime scene,” he said.

Vawda urged residents to remain on high alert and not let their guard down as the crime rate in the area had escalated drastically.

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“Residents need to be very observant of their surroundings and people coming into their homes, even to do odd jobs. We are not sure who these people are that are breaking into houses but we are under the impression that they are locals. Residents should look out for one another, if you see something, say something. Also inform your neighbours or someone you trust to keep a watchful eye out when you are leaving your home,” Vawda advised.

Wentworth SAPS communications officer, Cpt Mbuso Gumede, confirmed that detectives were investigating a case of burglary where various items were stolen from the house.

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