Crime
20 awaiting trial prisoners escape police custody, 5 re-arrested
Gauteng police have confirmed the arrest of five of the 20 prisoners who escaped while en route to prison.
![](https://images.caxton.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/2017/08/prisoners.jpg)
Yesterday, news of 20 prisoners escaping police custody while being taken back to Sun City Prison in Johannesburg emerged.
It is alleged that the truck the prisoners were travelling in was ambushed by a group of armed men near the Southgate train station after they had appeared at the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court.
According to Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini, a group of armed men broke the lock and opened for the prisoners. One of the prisoners was sentenced to 17 years imprisonment after he was convicted of an armed robbery.
Here are some of the escapees:
Other prisoners were charged with various crimes including armed robbery, house breaking and theft and possession of drugs.