Customer robbed of cash while waiting in East London bank

Two men stormed into the Absa Bank at Vincent Park in East London yesterday and robbed a customer of an undisclosed amount of money.

A staff member said one of the men had pretended to be assisting another with opening a bank account.

Then the other man had gone to a customer, who had not deposited his money, and robbed him of his cash.

A scuffle ensued when bank security staff tried to apprehend one of the men.

A bank door was locked while one of the men was still inside and he fired shots at the glass door in a bid to escape.

“He fled on foot, wielding a gun,” an eyewitness said.

The incident left nearby shoppers terrified and they ran for cover after hearing the gunshots.

The facility was cordoned off for about two hours as police detectives and Fidelity security guards combed the scene.

A witness said: “I saw one man coming out with a bag.

“Then the other man followed him. I didn’t hear any gunshots.

“They both came from inside the bank and fled on foot.”

When a news team arrived, four police vans and one cashin-transit vehicle were on the scene.

East London community activist Amanda Timms said the spate of criminal incidents in the city was shocking.

“Someone needs to take precautions at all times. It is not safe wherever we go,” she said.

“These incidents make the city unsafe.”

An Absa Bank official said the company would issue a statement.

Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli said police were investigating a case of robbery with aggravating circumstances “after a client at the bank in Vincent was robbed of a large sum of cash by two armed men [on Thursday]”.

“According to information, a client was standing in a queue at the bank at about 2.30pm, waiting to be served, when two armed men robbed him of a large sum of money.

“The two men broke the glass door to quickly exit the bank.

“The robbers used a bronze BMW X3 with registration number JXV 303 EC as a getaway vehicle.

“No person was injured during the incident.