A gang of armed robbers that were pretending to be coronavirus health inspectors managed to steal nearly £10,000 from a supermarket in South Africa.
The group, who are yet to be identified, made off from the supermarket with around 200,000 ZAR, or £9,392 from a pension payout point
The incident happened in Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal province on Wednesday morning.
According to reports, 4 men that were wearing white lab coats, masks, and face shields entered the shopping mall.
The 3 men calmly walked into the supermarket at around 8:30 am.
2 of the 4 robbers held a manager and a staff member at gunpoint as they removed all the cash from a safe in the office.
The news was confirmed by the local police.
CCTV footage shows the men calmly walking into the supermarket and speaking to a staff that was standing behind a desk.
The men then walked through a set of glass doors below the supermarket sign.
Sergeant Mthokozisi, the spokesperson of the Pietermaritzburg police, said:
Four men who were dressed in white coats entered a business premise in Scottsville through the main entrance, and they went to the cash office and asked to speak to the manager. Two suspects entered the manager’s office together with an employee while the others stood outside. At gunpoint, they forced both the manager and employee to lie on the floor, and they then removed all the cash from the safe.
The men then fled the area in a vehicle.
Officials could not confirm the exact amount of money they got away with.
Also, the 4 gang members did not open fire and no injuries were reported to the authorities.
The payout desk has been closed since the incident.
Pensioners have been advised to collect their money from other points.
An official investigation has been launched.