The Provincial Commissioner of North West, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena reiterated that police in the province will persistently trace and bring criminals to book. This after a crime intelligence driven operation by the Brits Trio Task Team, Tactical Response Team (TRT) and Brits Detectives led to apprehension of 15 suspects between Friday, 17 and Monday, 20 June 2022.
It is alleged that community members were on their way on Wednesday evening, 8 June 2022, to attend a meeting at Oukasie Community Hall, when shots were fired at them. Thus, a 30-year-old woman was fatally wounded while one male and four females, aged between 12 and 46 were injured.
Following investigation and intelligence received, the first two suspects were arrested at a tavern in Brits. Further investigation led the police to Oukasie Location where five more suspects were arrested. The team progressed to Winterveldt, Soshanguve and Sunnyside in Gauteng Province where eight additional suspects were arrested between Sunday, 19 and Monday, 20 June 2022 respectively.
During the arrests, the police seized two firearms, 15 ammunition and 21 cell phones. Preliminary investigation indicated that one of the firearms and a cell phone are linked to a case of robbery and murder committed in Oukasie earlier this month.
Investigations, including the possibility of linking the suspects to several other cases of house robbery, business robbery, murder and attempted murder, are underway.
Of the 15 suspects, two appeared on 21 June 2022, in the Pretoria North while three appeared in the Garankuwa Magistrates’ Courts respectively on charges of possession of suspected stolen goods and unlawful possession of firearm.
Six other suspects are expected to make their first appearance in the Brits Magistrates’ Court on 22 June 2022, on three counts of murder, two of house robbery, one of business robbery and one of unlawful possession of firearm.
The remaining four individuals could not be linked to the crimes. However, they are being processed by Immigration Officials as undocumented persons.
Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, thanked the members for a job done well and that the arrest will certainly serve as an indication that crime does not pay.
