Robbers escape with watches from Cape Town's Cavendish centre

Trigg Jewellers at the popular Cavendish Square shopping centre in Cape Town was robbed by four gunmen mid-morning today.

Police confirmed the incident‚ saying robbers fled with jewellery and that no injuries were reported.

“At about 10.45am four unidentified armed men went into a jewellery store at a shopping mall in Claremont. They threatened the staff and smashed the display cabinets‚” activating the smoke alarms. “They fled with watches. No shots were fired during this incident and no injuries reported‚” said spokesman FC van Wyk.

Eyewitness Mandy Lumb was coming down the escalator when the commotion began.

“I heard two loud bangs as I was coming down the escalator‚” said Lumb. “I thought it was from the construction that was taking place‚ then as I got to the bottom of the escalator I saw lots of smoke and people running and screaming.

 “I wasn’t sure what had happened and then I saw that the windows to the jewellery store had been smashed in and there were plenty of onlookers.”

Lumb said security began ushering people out and that there was a police presence at the back entrance to the mall when she left.

This is the second robbery at the Cavendish store in the past two years. In October 2013 five armed men made off with at least 50 watches‚ each valued at between R20‚000 and R150‚000.