THREE men aged between 24 and 28 were arrested in the Sankontshe area near Mpumalanga township, Hammarsdale.
The men were arrested on Tuesday during a joint operation between Pinetown Crime Intelligence Operatives, Mpumalanga Detectives, Pietermaritzburg K9 Unit and Pietermaritzburg Highway Patrol Unit.
KZN police spokesman, Col Jay Naicker said, it is alleged that on the night of 31 October 2014, officers from Mpumalanga SAPS responded to a complaint of murder and were ambushed by unknown men in the Sankontshe area.
“It is alleged that one member was shot and injured during the incident and the suspects fled the scene. The injured police officer was taken to hospital for treatment,” he said.
A case of attempted murder was opened at the Mpumalanga police station.
Naicker added that when the officers were attacked, they were attending to a murder case where 47-year-old Lucky “Bhengu was found with multiple gunshot wounds in the Sankontshe area.
“It is suspected that he was shot by the same suspects who attacked the police,” he said.
The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni praised the multi-disciplinary Task Team that arrested the three suspects.
“Criminals need to be aware, that we will have no mercy on them over this festive season. Such operations will become a norm as a result of the additional capacity that we have in dealing with criminals during the festive season,” she said.
The three will be charged for murder and attempted murder and are expected to appear in the Mpumalanga Magistrate’s Court today.
