Police arrest ATM bombing suspects in Leslie near Bethal

An intelligence-driven operation carried out by the Secunda Crime Intelligent Unit, Mpumalanga Provincial Task Team and other law enforcement agencies today, February 10, led to the arrest of six suspects linked to an ATM bombing.

They are alleged to have blown up an ATM in one of the business areas in Leslie near Bethal on Wednesday, February 8.

According to Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, a provincial police spokesperson, there were about 20 heavily armed suspects who had used three vehicles during the incident.

“A brown and cream Toyota Siyaya minibus, a silver-grey VW Polo and a white Toyota Corolla had been occupied by the suspects.”

Mohlala said their investigation shows that some of the suspects were recruited from parts of Gauteng.

“According to our preliminary investigation, a 31-year-old mastermind, who currently rents a room in Ekurhuleni in Gauteng, managed to assemble a team of criminals from Thokoza, Zonkizizwe and Soweto to execute the robbery.

The police worked around the clock to gather information about the vehicles used during the bombing. Three suspects, believed to be co-planners, had been spotted driving around the targeted business area on Monday using the same Toyota Corolla that was involved in the robbery,” he said.

Mohlala said investigations are still under way, and the police are hoping to make more arrests soon.

“After the crime had been committed, information was gathered. This led to the arrest of the suspects, and the recovery of the stolen money, the explosives used to detonate the ATM, and the firearms and ammunitions.

We are working tirelessly to bring the rest of the suspects to book,” Mohlala concluded.

The provincial commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela, issued a warning to anyone targeting ATMs in the province, stating that the police would carry out a thorough investigation and ensure that all perpetrators are brought to justice.