Africa-Press – Lesotho. A well-organised syndicate of robbers has been targeting affluent suburbs, retailers and filling stations in Maseru. Although crime is generally rife in Maseru, especially in the villages, robbers now appear to be also targeting rich suburbs and gated communities.
Hillsview, a suburb of the well-heeled along Pioneer Road, has borne the brunt of most of the robberies in recent months. Filling stations, retail shops and gated communities have also been targeted.
So have individuals depositing large sums of cash from businesses. Security Unlimited, a security company, this week released a statement warning its clients to be vigilant.
The statement noted the increase in the number of robberies in Hillsview, an area with a huge concentration of Security Unlimited’s clients. Hillsview is home to businesspeople and diplomats, making it a target for robberies and burglaries.
The spate of armed robberies in Maseru has exposed the police’s dire lack of resources. The police have been caught glaringly unprepared as criminals terrorise residents and businesses.
The wave of robberies started in May and has continued unabated since then, with the police fumbling for solutions. The police have been struggling to tame the tide due to a lack of money and resources to fight back.
Police spokesperson Mpiti Mopeli told thepost that the police have one patrol vehicle covering the 15 police stations in Maseru Urban. That means there is only one police vehicle for Maseru’s nearly 350 000 residents.
“We are trying our best but the lack of vehicles is a major problem,” Mopeli said, adding that ideally, Maseru Urban should have at least 15 vehicles, one for each police station.
He said the police have not had enough vehicles since the government cancelled Avis’ fleet management services in 2016. “We got some vehicles during the Bidvest contract.
That helped but they were still not enough,” Mopeli said. “Since that contract ended the police have been struggling. We have not had a budget to buy new vehicles.
” Mopeli said the police believe that the recent robberies on filling stations and other affluent suburbs are the work of a well-organised syndicate.
“We are not sure yet but we believe there is a syndicate out there.
” He said the police have organised deployments in hotspots.
According to Security Unlimited’s update, eight of the 17 incidents happened between 5 and 6 in the evening. And sometimes the robbers hit several places in one night.
The wave started on May 19 when there was a break-in at a house in Hillsview. The group stole an undisclosed amount of cash. On May 27 a group of more than ten men scaled a fence at Letsie Flats, along Kingsway Road.
They manhandled the guard, tied him up and invaded several houses where they held several families at gunpoint. The group stole phones and cash. They disappeared just as the police and soldiers were arriving.
Sixteen days later there was another incident in Hillsview when a Chinese man was robbed of his jacket at gunpoint just as he opened his gate. On the morning of June 18, a group of robbers waylaid a man as he was about to enter the Standard Lesotho Bank branch in the Maseru Industrial Area.
They took cash and got away in a car parked across the street from the bank. The same group is suspected to have struck again on the same day when they broke into a house in Hillsview.
They jumped over the fence, tied up the guard and stormed the house. The group, reported to be made up of between seven and ten men, stole a mobile phone and a laptop.
On June 30, the group targeted Shoprite supermarket at the LNDC Centre and Freabel Estate, a gated community next to Avani Lesotho Hotel. They entered Shoprite at 6pm, emptied two tills, fired shots and disappeared.
While the police were rushing to Shoprite, seven men broke into one of the units at Freabel Estate. They fired shots, tied up the guards before disappearing with money and phones.
One person was injured but it is not clear if he was assaulted or shot by the intruders. There were seven incidents in July, beginning with a failed hijacking in Hillsview on the 18th.
The next day they attacked the Puma Filling Station in Ha- Foso and stole cash. The attempted hijacking in Hillsview and the robbery in Ha-Foso happened within 15 minutes of each other.
Two days later they hit the Puma Filling Station in Borokhoaneng and stole cash. The next day, at 7pm, robbers struck at Pioneer Mall but they appear to have mistimed their attack.
They attacked two men in the parking area soon after they had deposited cash at Standard Lesotho Bank. The robbers grabbed the empty bag from the two men and demanded cash.
The men surrendered the small change they had and the robbers fled in a blue Honda Fit. At around 7pm, on July 27, a group of ten armed men robbed the Puma Filling Station at Katlehong.
Khubetsoana Shopping Centre was hit at 5.30pm the next day, in what Security Unlimited described as “a well-planned” attack on several shops. Security Unlimited said customers initially wanted to resist but complied after the robbers fired shots.
Three days later a woman was robbed of M15 400 at gunpoint while in a queue at Standard Lesotho Bank in Maseru Industrial Area. The robbers appeared to have tailed the victim because they went straight at her, grabbed her bag and sped off.
On Monday this week, an employee of a local fast-food outlet was robbed as he was about to enter a bank at Pioneer Mall. The victim raised an alarm and one guard tried to close the boom gate to block the robbers’ car.
One of the robbers who was near the boom gate shot the guard. The guard died at a local hospital a few hours later. These incidents are only a few of the several that have happened over the past three months.
Every week the police are dealing with burglaries and murders in the villages and across the country. Most of the cases reported by Security Unlimited are linked to their clients or their catchment areas.
Maseru Industrial Area, Moshoeshoe Road – Standard Lesotho Bank 18th June 2020 (10:00hrs) Maseru Industrial Area, Moshoeshoe Road, Standard Lesotho Bank- A client parked his vehicle in a parking area next to the bank.
Armed men approached him when he was already out of the car. This person was robbed of an undisclosed amount of money. The robbers got away in a getaway vehicle that was parked opposite the bank, on the other side of the main road.
30th July 2022 (09:00hrs) Maseru Industrial Area, Moshoeshoe Road, SLB- A lady who was in the queue to the ATM, was at gun point held and robbed of about M15,400.00 according to a witness.
The robbers came from across the road, straight to the victim and took her bag and got away in a silver car without a number plate. Shoprite LNDC 30th June 2022 (18:00hrs) Shoprite, LNDC Centre- Armed robbers entered the shop and cleared two cashier tills and ran off.
Shots were fired but no injuries were reported. Pioneer Mall 2th July 2022 (19:00hrs) Pioneer Mall- two men used the SLB bulk teller to deposit money.
After completion of the transaction they walked back to the parking area 1 (the small parking where the Spur used to be). When they arrived at their vehicle, they were held-up by two armed men.
The robbers grabbed the empty bag and demanded money. The victims gave them some change they had on them. One shot was fired by the robbers in the parking area and fled in a blue Honda 4+1 car.
1st August 2022 (10:15hrs) Pioneer Mall.
-An employee of a fast food outlet was about to enter the Pioneer Mall with the intent to deposit money at a bank.
A person, pushing a trolley, approached him and robbed him of the money. The robber ran out of the mall and got in an escape vehicle. The victim shouted to alert the security guards of what had just happened.
The Pioneer Mall guards tried to act fast and one guard tried to close the boom gate in an attempt to stop the getaway vehicle but was shot. The robbers managed to escape.
An amount of money reported to have been stolen was M100,000.00. It is also very sad to report that the guard shot during the incident later died. Ha Tsolo
18th June 2022 (02:00hrs) Ha-Tsolo, opposite the new U-Save building. A man was shot next to the road when leaving a shebeen. Katlehong Puma Garage
27th July 2022 (during hthe night) Katlehong, New Puma Filling Station- Another armed robbery occurred.
However, no details of the incident were provided. Hills View 19th May 2022 (around midnight) Hillsview- A break-in at a residential property. Undisclosed amount of money was stolen by the intruders.
12th June 2022 (10:20hrs) Hillsview – A Chinese man was robbed of his jacket at gunpoint while waiting in the driveway of Ground Water.
The person was waiting for the gate to open. No injuries were reported. 18th June 2022 (18:30 hrs) Hillsview – Break-in at a residential property. Seven to ten armed intruders jumped over a neighbour’s fence.
The guard was tied up in a VIP toilet and the intruders broke into the house. Mobile phones and a laptop was stolen. No injuries were reported. 18th July 2022 (18:30hrs) Hillsview, Khali Junction- A businessman returning home was almost hijacked.
A suspicious vehicle passed his car and stopped in front of him and two armed men got out of the stopped vehicle. This man managed to drive passed this car and escaped the situation.
21st July 2022 (earlier in the day) Hillsview, Close to the Black Swan Guesthouse- Two suspects were shot by Law Enforcement agencies.
Suspects were chased from the Thetsane area and were involved in a possible kidnapping incident. Freabel Estate, Next to Avani Lesotho Hotel 30th June 2022 Freabel Estate, Next to Avani Lesotho Hotel- A break-in into one of the units at the Estate.
Money and mobile phones were stolen from the resident by seven intruders. Shots were fired by the intruders and one male person was wounded. The guards were tied up by the intruders.
Borokhoaneng Puma Garage 21st July 2022 (During the night) Borokhoaneng, Puma Filling Station-An armed robbery occurred and an undisclosed amount of money was taken from the shop.
Khubetsoana 28th July 2022 (17:30hrs) Khubetsoana, Shopping Centre- Khubetsoana Supermarket and other shops were robbed by more than ten armed men. According to available information it was a well-planned criminal activity.
Some customers tried to refuse the robbers instructions until shots were fired and the people realising that live ammunition was used, started to obey instructions.
The robbers managed to get away with a undisclosed amount of money. Ha Foso Puma Garage 19th July 2022 (18:45hrs) Ha-Foso, Puma Filling Station. The shop of Filling Station were entered by armed men and robbed of an undisclosed amount of money.
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