Electronic equipment was stolen from Lufthansa in a robbery at Johannesburg International airport, the airline said on Tuesday. Spokesperson Karin Duncker said the armed robbery took place on Sunday. No one was injured in the incident.
”The police are currently investigating the case and Lufthansa is cooperating fully with the investigation officers,” she said.
The Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) said the break-in happened shortly after midnight in ”a public area where access is not restricted and did not impact on operations at the airport”.
A security guard was present during the robbery.
Superintendent Vishnu Naidoo said the guard claims he was tied up and robbed by three armed men, but irregularities in his story have surfaced.
Naidoo said there had been similar incidents in the past, and after the arrests of several employees and security guards the robberies had stopped. ”Now it seems to be resurfacing. We are calling on warehouse managers to beef up security.”
Acsa spokesperson Solomon Makgale said airport users should be assured that Acsa has confidence in the security measures in place.
”Aviation security is Acsa’s key priority area. This was further confirmed by a recent successful aviation security audit by the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the South African Civil Aviation Authority,” he said.
Acsa employees were arrested for involvement in an airport heist involving millions of dollars in foreign currency earlier this year. — Sapa