Police crack down on road spiking and FB syndicates

THE SAPS has confirmed that it has been able to crack down on the infamous road spiking gang operating in and around the City of Tshwane.

According to a police report, the same suspects are also linked to Facebook Marketplace scams as well as rape, attacks and multiple murders.

This was confirmed by SAPS police spokesperson Brenda Muridili in a statement on Saturday.

Muridili said the Facebook swindlers, linked to a number of scamming incidents and murders, were arrested in Winterveldt, Pretoria.

“These criminals have been targeting online buyers and sellers by luring them to the area to rob them. They are being linked to a number of attacks and murders. Operations are still under way,” Muridili said.

According to the police, the suspects are expected to appear in various courts on Monday.

Muridili said the suspects were believed to be responsible for road spiking incidents on the N1, N4 and R80 as well as online shopping incidents.

She said one suspect was shot and killed during a shootout with the police on Saturday.

“Our team were able to track the suspects to a house in Winterveldt, which was also used as a shebeen. The police confronted 10 people, including a woman who was running a shebeen.

“Five of the suspects will be charged with a number of counts of rape and armed robbery, while the woman will be charged with contravening the Immigration Act and operating an illegal shebeen,” she said.

Gauteng police provincial commissioner General Tommy Mthombeni commended the team of district detectives who worked with detectives from SAPS Rietgat and FNB Security officials to effect these arrests.

“I’m pleased with the dedication and commitment shown by the team that have been working around the clock to ensure that they hunt down and arrest the suspects who have been terrorising the community.

“The arrests will help us close a lot of cases related to road spiking and online shopping,” Mthombeni said.