Abramjee falls victim to crime
Primedia boss tells of gunmen inside his house
CRIME Line boss and head of LeadSA Yusuf Abramjee became yet another crime statistic on Friday morning when two brazen robbers held him and his family up at their home in Erasmia, west of Pretoria.
Abramjee, who is also the head of Primedia, said two men entered his home at 9.30am and accosted his wife, Firoza, who was in the courtyard at the time.
“I just got out of the bath and was confronted by one of the robbers demanding the keys to my BMW. The car was in the garage at the time. I gave him the keys, and as they were driving off, they fired a few rounds at the house. My son Nazeer and I fired back at them, but they got away.”
He said the men gained access to his secured property by cutting the electric fence. Abramjee said he was grateful for the quick action of the police, who managed to track down his car later that afternoon.
Abramjee has been at the forefront of fighting crime in the country, but he said “no one is immune to crime”.
“We try to be as alert as possible, yet we still become victims. My wife is shaken up, but we are grateful we were not hurt.”
Police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said the police were searching for the robbers.
“Earlier on Friday, two suspects were interrupted by the police when they attempted to break into a house on Senorita Street.
My wife is shaken up, but we are grateful we were not hurt
They fled the scene and left a blue Mercedes-Benz behind. The police found housebreaking equipment inside the vehicle,” said Dlamini.
“The suspects went to Abramjee’s house at nearby Johann Strauss Street and jumped an electric fence. They took his BMW at gunpoint.
“They used the BMW as a getaway vehicle after they abandoned the MercedezBenz,” said Dlamini.
On further investigation, Dlamini said, the police established that the MercedesBenz that was left at the scene was stolen in Laudium on November 19. No arrests had yet been made.