The three arrested suspects have appeared before the Hoedspruit periodical court on charges of attempted murder and conspiracy to commit illegal hunting, according to Col Moatshe Ngoepe.
‘They were all denied bail and their cases were postponed to the 12 June for bail application and further police investigations.
The suspects were identified as: Pastor Nicolus Mgiba (45), Bento Mendose (44) and Zalcbrel Baloyi (28).
Read: HOEDSPRUIT: Balule teams bust three suspected rhino poachers
They were arrested during a special operation conducted by the Tactical Response Team (TRT) and the Hoedspruit Farm Watch.
“This joint operation followed information about an illegal hunting criminal syndicate. Allegedly the suspects were traveling with a Land-cruiser along the R40 road on Monday 3 June. It was believed that they were on their way to go and commit illegal hunting in the area,” Ngoepe said.
The motor vehicle chase ensued until the suspects started to shoot at the Police who retaliated. One of the suspects was shot and arrested with the other two.
Read: A poacher’s worst nightmare has just arrived in Hoedspruit
“During the arrest, the following items were recovered: One hunting rifle, one silencer, four live ammunition, knife, axe and the motor vehicle.
Read: ‘Poacher’ killed by lions identified
Police investigations are still continuing.
The Herald reported on Tuesday, 4 June that a well-known Pretoria pastor (Mgiba) was intercepted and arrested by an Intelligence driven Joint operation comprised of the Tactical Response Team (TRT) and the Hoedspruit Farm Watch on Monday evening, June 3.
