Brazen Daylight Heist: Businessman Robbed at Gunpoint Inside Polokwane Bank

Brazen Daylight Heist: Businessman Robbed at Gunpoint Inside Polokwane Bank

The illusion of safety within a busy bank was shattered in a matter of seconds this past Saturday morning in Polokwane. In a brazen act that has left the community on edge, two armed assailants targeted and robbed a businessman inside the FNB branch at Platinum Park in the upscale Bendor area.

According to provincial police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, the victim had entered the bank to deposit a substantial amount of cash from his business based in Giyani. He never made it to the teller.

In a scene that seems pulled from a crime thriller, two men, who had been posing as customers, suddenly approached him. Without warning, one produced a firearm. The duo quickly overpowered the businessman, snatching his bag containing an undisclosed sum of money and his cellphone before fleeing the scene.

“The two suspects fled the scene in a silver (Volkswagen) Polo Vivo,” Colonel Ledwaba confirmed, outlining the clean, swift getaway that has become a hallmark of such calculated operations.

The Polokwane SAPS have launched an urgent manhunt for the suspects. They are appealing to the public for any information that could lead to their arrest.

This incident is chillingly similar to a case reported by IOL in 2023, where a man was robbed in an nearly identical fashion inside a bank in Hercules, Tshwane. In that case, the victim was also approached by two men at gunpoint while trying to make a deposit and was escorted outside before being robbed. The suspects in that case also used a silver-grey Volkswagen Polo as their getaway car.

The repeat of this modus operandi suggests a potential pattern or even the work of a sophisticated syndicate targeting businessmen making large cash deposits.

The attack has raised serious concerns about the audacity of criminals targeting seemingly secure environments and the safety of individuals conducting high-value transactions.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the investigating officer, Colonel Nkele Mabotja, on 082 585 4604, call the Crime Stop number 08600 10111, or use the My SAPS App to share details anonymously.

{Source: IOL}

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