Three more suspects arrested, linked to Limpopo heist

THREE more suspects have been arrested in connection with a cash-in-transit heist near Groblersdal on February 12, Limpopo police said.

“Following the cash-in-transit robbery which occurred last week in the Motetema policing area outside Groblersdal, the provincial tracking team embarked on an intelligence-led operation, working tirelessly around the clock tracing the suspects involved in this incident until they were cornered and nabbed,” Lieutenant-Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said.

During this operation, three suspects were arrested in Mpumalanga and Gauteng. This brought the number of arrested suspects to four.

During the arrests, a firearm, a Ford Ranger bakkie believed to be one of the vehicles used during the robbery, and “damaged cash” believed to be some of the cash stolen during the robbery were recovered, Ngoepe said.

The preliminary police investigations had revealed that the recovered Ford Ranger was hijacked in Mooinooi in the North West in January.

A task team comprised of various police units had been established following the robbery.

“It is alleged that two G4 security guards were travelling along Ramogwera Road and when they approached a speed hump two vehicles, a white Ford Ranger and a silver (Nissan) X-Trail, attacked them,” Ngoepe said.

The occupants of these two vehicles started shooting at the security vehicle, wounding the driver in the leg and causing him to loose control of the vehicle and swerve off the road.

“This gang of about 11 suspects armed with rifles then pounced on the vehicle and tried to open it. When the vehicle wouldn’t open, they instructed the victims to lie down and disarmed them of their service pistols. The alleged scavengers then bombed the vehicle with explosives and managed to take an undisclosed amount of money before they fled the scene.”

Police were notified and reacted swiftly to the scene, which led to the arrest of one suspect, aged in his 20s. An undisclosed amount of cash was recovered in his possession, Ngoepe said.

The arrested suspects would appear in the Motetema Magistrate’s Court soon on various charges including armed robbery.

Anyone with information which could lead to the arrest of the remaining suspects should contact Captain Richard Boshomane at 079 894 5501 or Crime Stop on 086 001 0111, or SMS Crime Line 32211, or the nearest police station. – African News Agency (ANA)