HIC! Alcohol sales were banned following S. Africa’s Covid lockdown Thieves tunnel in, flee with $18K liquor

Johannesburg, June 2: Thieves tunnelled through underground passageways and solid concrete at a liquor store in a major shopping centre in the city just before a controversial ban on the sale of alcohol during the 66-day Covid-19 lockdown was lifted.

The thieves got away with 300,000 rand (about $18,000) worth of liquor, much of which had been put on shelves by the owners as they prepared for a rush on Monday morning, when sales were allowed to resume under relaxed rules of the lockdown.

“They discovered a big hole on the floor next to (a) fridge where it is suspected that suspects might have gained entry from tunnels underneath,” police spokesman Kay Makhubela said in a statement.

The thieves made off with whisky, brandy, gin, vodka and beer valued at around $18,000. Workers at the Shoprite supermarket in the Newtown district of Johannesburg discovered the heist when they went in last Friday to prepare for the resumption of sales on June 1. Alcohol sales had been banned when South Africa entered a strict lockdown at the end of

March this year. With a number of robberies and break-ins at liquor stores across the country, the shops reinforced security outside their premises.

Even security patrols by the centre staff did not raise any concerns, as the gang bypassed the main entrances and got in by accessing electrical and stormwater drain tunnels underground to get under the store before cutting through the thick concrete floor to get in. But the carefullyplanned heist failed to take into account security cameras inside the store, which captured three men returning from the hole several times.

Store management believes they were passing out the loot, including expensive imported brands of a variety of liquor, to accomplices inside the tunnel.

CCTV footage showed the thieves first visited the centre on May 21. A 50,000 rand reward has been announced to information leading to their arrest. Stolen liquor had been sold on the black market for up to 10 times the normal price because of the lockdown.

Thousands queued for hours at liquor stores across the country on Monday after South Africa moved to level 3 of a five-level lockdown strategy.

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