Johannesburg: The family of India's consul- general in the South African city of Durban was targeted by robbers and briefly held hostage at their official residence. The family of consul-general Shashank Vikram, members of their domestic staff and a visiting teacher were held up at their residence on Innes Road. Among them were two children, aged five and 10. "They are OK but they were obviously traumatised," said consul S K Pandey. Nobody suffered physical harm," he said, adding they planned to attend counselling.
He said a domestic worker's cellphone which was also robbed, could provide clues to the incident, the Independent Online reported. The robbers reportedly gained entry by derailing the entrance gate, a strategy used often in a spate of brazen robberies recently in affluent suburbs of Durban. Following the incident,India has reminded South Africa of its duty to protect diplomatic staff.