Byline: Refeloe Letsoisa
05 August 2025
Police in Calcutta are investigating a case of business robbery after a certain church was robbed by armed suspects on Sunday, 03 August 2025, at approximately 12h40.
According to a report, the church members were in a service when two males entered the church building. Their faces were covered with balaclavas, and they were armed with firearms. The two then fired some shots into the ceiling and demanded valuables from the congregants.
They proceeded to rob the victims of their cell phones, wallets, handbags, and car keys. As if that was not enough, the suspects also robbed the church of an undisclosed amount of cash from free-will offerings. The suspects then loaded the stolen items into a white Toyota Fortuner, which belongs to one of the congregants, and fled the scene.
The said vehicle was later found abandoned at Marite Trust, with handbags and car keys inside, but the stolen mobile phones as well as the cash were not found.
Some cartridges for a pistol were recovered and were confiscated to form part of the investigation. Fortunately, no injuries were reported during the incident.
The suspects are still at large, and police urge anyone with information that may assist in apprehending the suspects to contact Detective Sergeant Justice Mogane on 082 585 6184 or call the Crime Stop number at 08600 10111. People can also send information via MYSAPSAPP. All received information will be treated as confidential, and callers may opt to remain anonymous.
The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major General (Dr) Zeph Mkhwanazi, has strongly condemned the attack of places of worship, vowing that police will work around the clock and ensure that perpetrators are swiftly brought to book.
“We are concerned about this trend whereby places of worship are attacked by criminals. We are working towards a point where this problem is eradicated. Such acts display deep moral decay in the society,” said the General.
