Three alleged members of ‘Rolex Gang’ arrested
The three suspects were cornered by a high-level police team who had followed their movements since they hijacked a car last month.
Image: Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP
Three members of the so-called “Rolex Gang” were apprehended today after a shootout with police in Modderfontein, Ekurhuleni.
This came after the suspects were found in possession of a hijacked vehicle on the R25.
The acting national commissioner, Lieutenant General Sindile Mfazi, has commended the tenacity with which this intelligence-driven operation was executed.
The high-level team included the police’s Crime Intelligence, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (Hawks), SAPS K9 Unit, the Alexandra Trio Task Team, Gauteng Traffic Saturation Unit as well as the Tracker Connect Investigation Department.
According to a statement, this integrated team had been holding surveillance on the movements of the suspects since the hijacking of a vehicle in Alexandra last month, May 2018.
Today at just after 1pm the operational plan was successfully implemented with assistance from the SAPS Airwing and Ekurhuleni Metro Police Swat members. When the suspects realized that they had been cornered they started shooting at the team and police responded.
Three suspects were arrested at the scene; one sustained injuries during the shootout.
The vehicle, two handguns with ammunition and other items were seized.
“Combatting car hijackings, as a category of the trio crimes, is one of our top priorities. This collaborative effort of various law enforcement agencies will, going forward, be incorporated in the normalisation approach that will ensure the sustainability of low levels of serious crime,”, Mfazi said.
Hawks head Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya also commended the members that implemented this operation.
“I am pleased with the integrated approach towards the fight against serious and violent crime. It is evident that when we coordinate our efforts, we will emerge victorious against the scourge of aggravated robberies,” he said.
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