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Mpumalanga Hawks seek suspects in failed CIT heist
Members of the Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation in Mpumalanga are seeking the public's assistance.
May 6, 2021
Bongani Mashisane
1 minute read
They need any information which may lead to the arrest of the suspects linked to an attempted cash-in-transit heist today at about 06:30 on the R40 between Mbombela and Barberton.
An armoured van was travelling from Mbombela to Elukwatini, accompanied by a company escort bakkie that led the way.
The driver of the escort bakkie alleged he was surprised by a hail of bullets hitting the van from behind, and saw some suspects shooting at them from a Mercedes-Benz. The escort’s security guards returned fire.
During the shoot-out, the armoured van’s driver’s finger was injured. A member of the escort’s crew was also injured on his hand, and they were later transported to hospital for medical treatment.
During the incident, three vehicles were hijacked at the crime scene. These were later found abandoned in various locations; one near the Hilltop Pass on the Barberton Road, another in Barberton and the third near White River.
At the crime scene itself, two hijacked vehicles were found abandoned. One was the Mercedes-Benz used in the heist to ram the CIT van, and further investigations revealed another Mercedes-Benz found at the crime scene had been hijacked in Gauteng.
No money was taken during the heist attempt.
It is suspected that during the crossfire some of the suspects might have been injured. The police are asking the assistance of the public and medical facilities to provide information about any suspicious person with gunshot wounds, by contacting the investigating officer, Lt Col Erhard Stroh, on 082-300-8315. All information will be treated with confidentiality.
