Three suspects arrested in the R81 courier robbery
A joint operation between the police and private security companies led to the swift arrest of three suspects who committed an armed robbery along the R81 near Ga-Makgoba on Tuesday.
According to police, the suspects driving a Toyota Fortuner and a Fiat Palio forcibly stopped a white courier company Toyota Hilux bakkie, and robbed it of its contents at gunpoint on the Polokwane to Giyani road. The suspects, aged between 30 and 37, apparently got away with electronic equipment.
Their luck ran out when the police in collaboration with private security companies were alerted and started to track them. They were spotted driving along the R71 near Mamahule, at Ga-Mothiba and Mankweng. The suspects in the Fiat Palio jumped out of their vehicle and started shooting at the police. The police returned fire and seriously wounded one of the suspects before the other two suspects surrendered and were taken into custody.
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The police later recovered several boxes of electrical appliances including cellphones, lights, a mini-UPS, outdoor speakers, and laptops. They further confiscated three unlicensed firearms with ammunition and one magazine from the suspects. The two suspects are expected to appear before the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court soon. They will face charges of possession of prohibited firearms and ammunition, possession of suspected stolen goods, armed robbery, and attempted murder. The third suspect is still in hospital under police surveillance.
He will appear in court after recovering from his injuries. The Toyota Fortuner in which the other suspects fled, was found abandoned in Mankweng. Police say a preliminary investigation revealed that the vehicle was hijacked earlier this month in Moletlane. The provincial commissioner of Limpopo, Lt Gen Thembi Hadebe, has applauded the quick response by the police which resulted in a swift arrest of the suspects.
