New Bell, Douala: 'Fake customers' rob shop

The broad daylight attack left no traces of the men of the underworld.

A shop in Douala’s Central Market was virtually emptied of its goods by suspected armed robbers on November 10, 2015, at about midday.

The carefully organised and executed operation was carried out in one of several shops around the busy Carrefour Anatole. The attackers arrived in a white Hiace mini-bus, pretending to be customers.

With automatic pistols and pointed daggers, the men ordered the two shopkeepers to lie down behind the counter while a third shopkeeper helped in packing merchandise in cartons and shopping sacks for one of the four armed men to transfer to the bus in front of the shop.

Before the assailants left the shop at Carrefour Anatole, they also collected a huge sum of money from the drawers.

Before the onslaught ended at about an hour later, two of the alleged gang members took off in the bus loaded with merchandise. The two others disappeared into the crowded market about 15 minutes after the bus had left. It was then that the shopkeepers raised alarm for help. Meanwhile, the suspected robbers are still at large.

For the operation to succeed, two armed men walked into the shop like any other customer would and made inquiries about prices, only to hold the shopkeepers at gun-point. The third of armed men moved the merchandise from the shop into the mini-bus while the fourth suspect steadied himself on the steering wheel, ready to drive off.

“We are busy packing goods, please buy at the next shop,” the robbers told approaching customers. Even nearby marketers did not suspect what was going on.

“What went through my mind as soon as I saw the men loading the bus in front of the shop was that my neighbour had made good sales,” said Njikie.