Three suspects aged between 39 and 48 were arrested for business robbery incident that occurred at one of the retail stores in the Bela-Bela Policing area on Monday, 2 November 2020.
It is alleged that workers of this store were on duty when they were allegedly accosted by three unknown armed suspects. Afterwards, they were instructed to open the safe. The suspects robbed cellphones and an undisclosed amount of cash before they fled the scene with an unknown vehicle.
The police were notified about the robbery and swiftly responded and on arrival, members of the community provided valuable information about the description of the getaway vehicle and the direction it took. Subsequently, the police in North West spotted the vehicle travelling along the R511 heading towards Brits and a car chase ensued with assistance of a private security company.
The suspects started to fire numerous shots at the police who retaliated and one suspect was shot during the shootout.
Ultimately, police managed to apprehend three suspects and recovered one firearm and five live ammunition, one toy gun, undisclosed amount of cash and cellphones believed to be the goods robbed at the retail store in Bela-Bela because these suspects are positively linked to this incident.
The injured suspect is currently under police guard in hospital after sustaining gunshot wounds.
The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba has commended members from Limpopo and North West on their effective collaboration which led to this milestone achievement.
The suspects will soon appear before Brits and Bela-Bela Magistrate’s Courts, facing charges of business robbery, possession of prohibited firearm and ammunition and possession of suspected stolen properties.
The police investigations are still continuing.
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