A gang of armed robbers who posed as customers pushing a trolley were surprised to find that police were onto them when officers pounced on them inside a cellphone shop at a shopping mall in Durban this week.

It was thanks to a vigilant shopper who spotted their suspicious behaviour of the gunmen and called the police to the scene that the crime was thwarted.

KwaZulu-Natal SAPS spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said that the police had responded to a complaint about an attempted business robbery at City View Mall in Stamford Hill at around 10.30 am on Wednesday.

“The Durban Central Response Team responded to a complaint of attempted business robbery at City View Mall. On arrival the police arrested three suspects aged between 26 and 30 for possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition,” Gwala said.

“It is alleged that three unknown males entered the cellphone shop in City View where they posed as customers with a trolley,” Gwala said.

“The alert observation of the one customers who noticed the suspicious males, left the shop and called the police who averted the possible business robbery. The police responded swiftly and with the assistance of security guards they arrested three suspects inside cellphone shop,” Gwala said.

The suspects were not aware that their luck had ran out and were shocked to see the police at the shop.”

Gwala said the police searched the suspects found them to be in possession of a pistol, a magazine and 38 rounds of ammunition.

“The suspects are due to appear in the Durban Magistrates Court for possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition. They will also be profiled to check if they are linked to any other business robberies that took place around Durban CBD and surrounding areas,” Gwala said,

Gwala added that the gunmen’s firearm would be sent for ballistic testing to check if it has been used to commit any other crimes in the country.