Publications
- A family survived a home invasion after grandparents barred the four intruders from entering the home on Monday.
- When the perpetrators failed to enter the home, they fled.
- A case of attempted robbery is being investigated by Verulam police in Durban.
An elderly Durban couple mustered all the strength, courage and willpower to stave off an attempted home invasion by armed robbers on Monday by wedging themselves against a door the gunmen had tried to break down.
At midday, a group of unidentified men forcibly entered the premises and tried to break into the home.
"A four-year-old girl and her mother locked themselves in the bathroom while a 75-year-old man and his wife held the front door shut," Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) spokesperson, Pre Balram told News24.
RUSA is a local security company.
"The elderly couple prevented four armed suspects from gaining entry into their home on Sunkist Drive."
READ | 'I will die fighting alongside you' - pensioner, 90, domestic worker fight off intruder
Balram said the couple sat on the floor, pressing their backs against the door, while the perpetrators tried to kick the door down.
In video footage captured on CCTV cameras, the perpetrators can be seen forcefully breaking the main door's burglar guard gate.
But they had little luck entering the home.
A police investigation is under way.
The mother of the four-year-old girl called RUSA while the attempted home invasion was happening.
"All available reaction officers were dispatched to the property... a 9mm bullet was recovered next to the kitchen door," said Balram.
The suspects allegedly fled in a white Ford Ranger Club Cab with an unknown registration.
Paramedics were called, and the victims were treated for shock; however, the elderly couple received extra medical care as their backs had been bruised.
READ | ‘Don’t fight robbers,’ advise security experts
"I have been in constant communication with the family, taking care of them the entire night and sending patrol vehicles out because they were traumatised," Balram said.
KZN spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele told News24 that Verulam SAPS were investigating an attempted robbery case.
