Four armed robbers were shot and killed following a cash-in-transit robbery in Limpopo, and police also arrested three of their accomplices.
The deceased and the arrested men were allegedly involved in a cash-in-transit heist on Wednesday, in the Hoedspruit policing precinct.
“A group of unknown suspects attacked and robbed a cash-in-transit security vehicle an undisclosed amount of money and fled the scene in a white Toyota Fortuner, a white Ford Focus and a white Toyota Hilux,” Limpopo police spokesperson, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said.
During the robbery, one of the security guards was shot dead and disarmed.
Police and the Hoedspruit Farmwatch received a report of the robbery and they mobilised.
“The suspects were spotted along the road to Hoedspruit. The team attempted to stop the suspects, but were met by a hail of bullets. The team returned fire and when the dust settled, four suspects were fatally injured, one injured and arrested, while the others managed to evade arrest by running to the nearby bushes,” said Ledwaba.
“Their victory was short-lived, as they were arrested the following day on Thursday, September 21, while travelling to Acornhoek in a minibus following an intense search mission by the Hoedspruit Farmwatch dogs, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation and a chopper.”
Ledwaba said one of the arrested people is “a highly wanted Mozambican suspect who has been on the run for some time for a spate of crimes in the Free State province during 2022”.
He said the Mozambican national has been on the SA Police Service’s wanted list for heinous crimes, including the brutal of a police officer attached to elite Tactical Response Team.
During the arrest, the alleged robbers were found in possession of suspected stolen money, a rifle and a pistol.
Meanwhile, provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has expressed appreciation for the joint efforts by the police and Hoedspruit Farmwatch.
“I would like to express my most profound appreciation for the meticulous collaborative efforts by all stakeholders involved in the arrest of these suspects. I will forever be indebted to the continuous support that we always receive from the stakeholders and their enthusiasm to ensuring that we maintain law and order in the province,” she said.
“We will stop at nothing to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book. We pay tribute to one of the G4S guard who lost his life during this aggravated robbery.
“We will continue sweeping our streets, side-by-side with our communities and usher a safer province which we all aspire to have, without failure,” said Hadebe.
IOL