ABERDEEN NEWS — An armed robbery took place last Thursday afternoon just outside Aberdeen, near the intersection of the N9 with the R61 to Beaufort West.
A Parmalat MAN M2000 truck with a driver and two passengers was returning to its depot in Beaufort West after making deliveries in Cradock.
Driver Tachwill Lottering stopped the truck at the picnic lay-by near the junction, and while they were out of the truck, the men saw a large white sedan approach the area and stop. When the Parmalat crew were ready to drive off, two men (passengers in the car) approached them from the car, one with a gun and one with a knife.
They demanded the men’s phones and money and took the keys of the truck. The three Parmalat employees were then locked in the fridge in the back of the van and their attackers drove away.
One of the trapped men managed to get out through the roof vent and open the back door to release his colleagues. The men then ran to the nearby Kamdebo Stal and phoned the police and their employers - this was about 20 minutes after the robbery. It is believed that a large amount of money was taken, that had been received for the stock they had delivered.
Many police cars raced to the scene from Graaff-Reinet and further afield, in response to the situation. Unfortunately, it was not known in which direction the robbers fled, or the make of their car, but police vehicles covered roads in all directions. However, the robbers had a head start and were probably a great distance away already.
The investigation is continuing.
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