BIRTHDAY celebrations ended in terror for a couple, when they were attacked by armed men outside their rented Verulam home last week.
They were assaulted, robbed of their SASSA grants and their mouths, hands and feet were bound with cellophane and rope tape during the home invasion.
Pensioners, Balan and Mona Chetty had gone out to spend the day with relatives. It was Mona’s birthday.
“We had lunch before going to a local supermarket where we withdrew our pension before doing some grocery shopping. Our relatives took us home around 4pm. We said our goodbyes and they drove off,” said Chetty.
He said their home was below road level and the property was secured with an alarm and security beams.
“We had a fence on the side of the house, which is next to some bushes. The fence was taken down because a retaining wall is being built. So, this made our property vulnerable.
“I unlocked the driveway gate and using a remote, I switched off the beams and alarm. We got into the yard and I locked the driveway gate behind us. We walked to the entrance of the house and my wife was behind me, while I unlocked the gate and then the front door,” said Chetty.
“Suddenly three men stormed the entrance. I was pushed onto the floor near the passage and when I looked up, I just saw the barrel of a gun. I tried not to look directly at them because I feared this would anger them. The three men surrounded me, while a fourth man grabbed Mona and took her to the lounge. We believe they came into the property from the bushes.”
He said the suspects demanded money, jewellery and wanted to know where the safe was kept.
“I told them that we did not have a safe. They searched my pockets and took my SASSA grant money. Using cellophane tape, they tied my legs and hands and covered my mouth. They pushed me into a bedroom and then hit me on the head. I remember my head hitting the floor and I passed out,” added Chetty.
He said Mona told him that the robbers took her jewellery, necklace, watch and riffled through her handbag, also taking her grant money.
“Her hands were tied with a thin piece of rope and her legs and mouth were bound with the tape. She was then pushed into the same room as me.”
He said the robbers were in and out of the house.
“When Mona heard no more movement in the house, she managed to twist and turn her wrists to remove the rope. She hopped from the bedroom to the nearby panic button and pressed it. When the alarm went off, the suspects fled leaving our microwave in the yard.”
He said Mona then hopped all the way to the veranda and screamed for help.
“Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) arrived and assisted us. My daughter, who lives in Verulam, took us to a doctor for medical attention.”
Chetty said although it had been a week since the incident, it was still fresh in their minds.
“It is traumatising to experience what we did at this age. Now every noise or loud sounds we hear has us on edge. The worst thing is that the robbery took place in broad daylight. Looking back to the day, I also believe we could have been followed after collecting our grant money.”
He said he had had also been in a hijacking in the past and had to undergo counselling to deal with his trauma.
“One of the things I learnt was not to look criminals in the eye, not to challenge them and just do what they ask. Doing this and praying silently for God’s protection is what saved us.”
Mona said she never expected her birthday to end like it did.
“The bush is a hideout for criminals and we need it to be cut and cleaned. Criminals seem to be preying on older people and watching them. We are still very traumatised, scared and stressed out. I keep thinking back to how they were pushing and shoving me around. Iadvised the elderly to be more vigilant.”
Prem Balram, the head of Rusa, said Brindhaven, Dawncrest and Waterloo had recorded an increase in crime in recent weeks.
“Reaction officers have attended armed robberies, home invasions, murder, shootings, housebreakings and hijackings. We have partnered with police and will be conducting patrols in an attempt to reduce crime.”
Police did not comment by the time of publication.
THE POST