Five armed men storm Gqeberha church, steal 50 cellphones and flee in pastor's wife's Toyota
Five armed robbers target Gqeberha church congregation.
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The South African Police Service (SAPS) in Chatty, in the Eastern Cape are investigating an armed robbery at a church on Gallant Street, Greenfields, Booysens Park, in which five perpetrators allegedly targeted worshippers.
Police spokesperson Captain André Beetge said the incident occurred on May 5, about 6:30pm, when five armed and masked men allegedly invaded the church.
"They stole roughly 50 congregants' cellphones and other belongings. The suspects escaped in the church priest's white Toyota RAV4, which was eventually discovered abandoned in Chatty. The car has been taken for forensic examination," Beetge said.
Authorities ask anybody with information to call Detective Constable Enrique Louw at 071 570 0628 (SAPS Chatty), or Crime Stop anonymously at 08600 10111.
In a similar case, armed robbers pounced on congregants during a church service at the Emmanuel Community Church in Spring Place in Tea Estate.
Shocking CCTV footage of the heist showed a gunman holding the pastor at gunpoint.
The armed assailant is subsequently shown robbing the pastor of his possessions while he preaches from the platform. The attacker is then seen disconnecting a television and walks away with it.
Prem Balram of Reaction Unit SA (RUSA) said some 25 individuals, including children, attended the church service.
"Reaction Unit South Africa received several calls from members of the congregation at around 8pm reporting that five armed robbers had just left the church after hijacking three vehicles and stealing several mobile phones and other valuables," he said.
Balram said when officers arrived on scene they were told that the heavily armed men had locked children in the toilets while robbing the congregation of valuables.
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