According to Lieut Kwendzakwakhe Ngobese, police arrested three Daveyton men after they were found in possession of the cellphones stolen during two separate robberies in Boksburg town.
Investigators believe the trio and at least three other suspects could be responsible for the string of business robberies, and described the arrests as a major breakthrough.
The arrests came after a gang of thugs robbed a Chinese-owned liquor store on Leeuwpoort Street thousands of Rand and alcohol, on Saturday morning, August 15.
Me5mbers of the newly formed Boksburg Task Team, Sgt Stanton Munsamy, Sgt Zane Johnson and Const Mojalefa Mabotja, tracked the suspects to Daveyton, where they arrested one of the suspects, who was found in possession of the victim’s cellphone, which was stolen during the robbery.
The other two suspects were arrested on Tuesday, August 18, in the same area.
The trio is charged with business robbery and will remain in police custody until they appear in the Boksburg Magistrates Court.
The same liquor store was previously robbed in broad daylight by a gang of pistol-whipping thugs, during the xenophobic attacks in April.
During that specific incident, about six robbers, four of whom were carrying firearms, walked into the bottle store at 10.40am on Thursday, April 16, and held up staff at gunpoint.
They pistol-whipped one of the employees and demanded money.
They then stole an undisclosed amount of cash and air time vouchers, before running out of the door.
The previous day, at about 6pm, a gang of gunmen robbed a bottle store next to a filling station, on Trichardts Road, in Parkrand.
They held staff at gunpoint and stole R20 000, airtime vouchers, alcohol and a cellphone.
The cellphone was, however, later recovered dumped somewhere in Brakpan.
No shots were fired during either of the incidents.
Two business robbery cases were registered at the Boksburg SAPS.
The modus operandi is an indication to investigators that a number of these attacks are linked.
Boksburg police hope as many as three other men could be arrested in connection with the robberies. -@FanieFLK
Gunmen rob foreign-owned bottle stores in broad daylight
