Johannesburg - Seven suspected cash-in-transit robbers aged between 31 and 48 were arrested near Eastgate Mall yesterday afternoon. Traffic around the mall was severely disrupted and motorists were urged to find alternative routes home.
Police said information was received about the suspects’ plans to follow a complainant as he left the bank. The information led to the deployment of a multidisciplinary team towards Bruma.
As the team comprising the Hawks' Tactical Operations Management Section (TOMS), Gauteng Tactical Response Team, Ekurhuleni Tactical team, PHO Crime Intelligence, SAPS Counter Intelligence, Gauteng Traffic’s Saturation Unit, Gauteng Traffic Police Chopper, CAP Specialised Operations, Tracker Connect, Badboyz Security and IZI Cash Investigation Department were watching the suspects, they were tipped off that the suspects had committed an armed robbery in Primrose, Germiston.
The suspects' vehicles were spotted near Eastgate Mall. The team moved in on the three vehicles: a silver Mercedes Benz CLA, a maroon Ford Fiesta and a white BMW 1 Series.
Preliminary queries revealed that the BMW was sought in a Linden case which was registered in August and that the suspects were sought for another robbery, a cash in-transit robbery committed in Cosmo City last month. The team recovered two unlicensed handguns with ammunition, rifle ammunition, cellphones, gloves and the victim’s belongings.
The suspects will appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday facing charges of armed robbery and possession of a stolen motor vehicle. The Department of Public Prosecutions is not ruling out the possibility that the suspects could be linked to other crimes committed in the Gauteng Province.