Four at large after cash heist explosion
POLICE are still hunting for four suspects at large following a cash-in-transit heist on Jakes Gerwel Drive near Manenberg yesterday morning
“The police’s national intervention unit responded swiftly to the crime scene resulting in a shoot-out between the robbers and the police; no injuries have been reported. The suspects fled in four vehicles and left a suspected stolen grey BMW at the scene,” Acting National Police Commissioner Sindile Mfazi said.
The cash-in-transit vehicle was attacked by unknown suspects using explosives. The suspects fled with an undisclosed amount of cash.
G4S Cash Solutions said the vehicle came under attack while performing a cash collection service in Athlone, Cape Town.
“A large number of armed robbers opened fire on the vehicle bringing it to a standstill. The robbers used commercial explosives to gain access to the vehicle and at this stage, the cash loss is unknown,” said a spokesperson for the company, Lianne Osterberger.
Osterberger said none of the G4S Cash Solutions staff was injured.
“Cash heists have a massive economic as well as service delivery cost, details of which we are unable to disclose due to the commercially sensitive nature of this information,” Osterberger said.
The latest heist comes weeks after the South African Banking Risk Information Centre revealed that the number of cash-in-transit heists for the first six months of 2018 stood at 159.
Just last week stakeholders in the cash in transit sector along with police spoke in Parliament following a number of cash-in-transit heists.
Some personnel of the cash-in-transit sector marched to the steps of the Western Cape provincial legislature to hand over a memorandum calling for an end to the spate of robberies.
“These attacks are unacceptable for all operators across the industry and we believe in working together, sharing intelligence and collaborating with other CIT operators and law enforcement agencies to improve the environment in which we all operate,” Osterberger said.
Cape Town motorists have been warned to be cautious along Jakes Gerwel Drive following yesterday’s heist.