Four suspects were shot dead in Estcourt, KwaZulu-Natal, after forcing an armoured cash vehicle to stop, robbing security guards of their firearms and stealing the money. Picture: SAPS
Durban — Four cash-in-transit (CIT) robbery suspects were shot and killed during a shoot-out with police in Estcourt, northern KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday afternoon.
KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said that several suspects, who were travelling in three vehicles, forced the armoured vehicle to stop and robbed security guards of their firearms before stealing the money.
“The suspects then engaged in a shoot-out with Road Traffic Inspectorate officers, which saw two officers sustaining injuries,” Netshiunda said.
He said the Estcourt Highway Patrol officers then responded and were also involved in a shoot-out with the suspects.
“Four suspects were shot and fatally wounded during the shoot-out. Two AK47 assault rifles, an R5, a pellet gun and an undisclosed amount of money, suspected to have been robbed from the cash in transit vehicle, were found in possession of the suspects,” Netshiunda said.
“Police are still in pursuit of more suspects.”
Netshiunda said that one of the suspect’s vehicles was found to have been reported as hijacked in Germiston, Gauteng, earlier this month.
When Police Minister Bheki Cele released the third quarter (October to December 2023) crime statistics for the financial year 2023/24, he addressed the issue of cash-in-transit heists. He said that the work of the specialised teams in each province was yielding results in ensuring a reduction in the number of such armed robberies.
“During this period, 46 CIT armed robberies took place which is 11 counts lower than the previous crime reporting period. In the past year, more than 75 wanted CIT suspects have been arrested during take-down operations.
“High-calibre firearms, including rifles and AK47s as well as high-performance vehicles that were used in these crimes were seized,” Cele said.
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