Robbers blast third drop safe door

A GANG of criminals blowing up drop safes at Nelson Mandela Bay petrol stations have struck again – this time in Motherwell.

Three petrol station drop safes have been blown open in separate robberies across the metro in the past four weeks.

Detectives are investigating a gang targeting petrol stations for the weekend takings – most of the robberies took place on a Sunday night or Monday morning.

In all three heists, three or four robbers used explosives to open the drop safe while staff were held hostage.

The latest incident took place at 1am yesterday when four armed men blew open a drop safe at the garage at the corner of Nyara and Tyinira streets, near the Motherwell shopping centre.

The robbers held two petrol attendants hostage.

Police spokesman Captain Andre Beetge said the robbers arrived on foot, then held the attendants at gunpoint.

“They then blew open the safe door,” he said. “The door handle blew off.”

Officials confirmed that the robbers fled with less than R1 000.

Beetge said the men then robbed the staff in the adjoining 24-hour shop.

“They emptied the tills and made off with a small amount of cash,” he said.

The explosives unit has also been called in.

Beetge said police were investigating whether the incidents were linked to a single group.

Two weeks ago, a drop safe door was blown off its hinges at a Kwa-Nobuhle garage shortly after midnight – the safe door landed several metres away.

However, the thieves fled empty-handed as the money had been collected hours before.