Members of the South African Police Service are looking for a daring gang of men who carried out a cash in transit heist along the University of Mpumalanga Road, in the outskirts of Nelspruit on the morning of 3 April 2018, around 05:00.
The gang of approximately 10 men used a brownish Mercedes Benz with GP registration plates to ram the cash van forcing it off the road. Once stationery, the gang immediately pounced on it shooting at the armoured vehicle, but the security guards fought tooth and nail by firing back at the suspects from inside their vehicle.
However, the villains managed to blast the van with the guards still inside, gathered an undisclosed amount of cash at which point the security company’s Reaction Unit emerged. The gun battle continued between the guards and the suspects, with one suspect, who was wearing a bullet resistant vest believed to be belonging to the police being fatally wounded and a police officer injured.
The rest of the suspects managed to flee the scene with a number of vehicles, including a white BMW X5 with false Limpopo Province registration plates being found abandoned not very far from the main crime scene.
The police responded swiftly and recovered four firearms, namely two AK 47 rifles, an R5 rifle, a 9mm pistol, another bullet resistant vest as well as a balaclava. At this stage, the police are probing how the police officer travelling in a state vehicle got to be shot and injured, within the vicinity of the crime scene.
The Provincial Commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Mondli Zuma commended the members of the security company for their prompt response as well as the brave crew for standing their ground inside their vehicle in the face of calamity.
General Zuma has instructed all the police units involved including the Hawks, to ensure that the suspects are brought to book.
Anyone with information that may assist in the investigation of this matter is requested to contact Colonel William Mokonyama at 082 565 7099 or Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
