KUALA LUMPUR: Three Malaysian students, who were injured in a robbery in Durban, South Africa in the wee hours of Friday, are believed to be victims of a home invasion.
According to a report by South African news portal The Mercury, the robbery occurred at a residential area called Cato Crest at about 2am local time.
A community policing leader, Janus Horn, was quoted saying that one of the two robbers, who had broken into the place, was killed during the robbery after being stabbed in a scuffle.
Horn said the robbers, who were armed with a firearm and knife, had confronted about 10 people at the residence.
The scuffle occurred between the crooks and victims, leading to the Malaysians whom he referred to as tourists getting injured.
Horn said the students were taken to the King Edward Hospital.
The dead robber had three cellphones that are believed to have been taken from the victims’ house.
The Mercury also quoted Horn as saying that the absence of streetlights in the area made it crime-prone.
“I just think this whole incident could have been prevented. If you are in the area, you cannot see a person walking on the road if they were wearing dark-coloured clothing. What kind of advert is this for South Africa and Durban when tourists are attacked? People need a safe environment,” he said.
Although Horn was reported to have said that only two Malaysians were hurt in the incident, Malaysian authorities confirmed there were three Malaysian students from the University of Newcastle who were injured.
In a statement issued late on Saturday, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry said while a Malaysian suffered a gunshot wound to the leg, the other two were stabbed. It said all three students are reported to be in stable condition.
The ministry also said that the Malaysian High Commission in Pretoria was monitoring the condition of all victims and extending consular assistance to them.
