260 nabbed for illegal possession of firearms in Gauteng in December

At least 260 people have been arrested in Gauteng for alleged illegal possession of firearms and ammunition throughout December.

Police confiscated over 500 unlicensed firearms and more than 6000 rounds of ammunition during the crime sweep between 1 and 30 December.

According to spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo, the arrests took place as a result of the province’s multi-disciplinary safer festive season campaign, Operation O Kae Molao, routine crime prevention patrols, stop-and-searches and tip-offs from communities.

On Friday, an off-duty officer and member of the Ekurhuleni Flying Squad arrested four suspects in Benoni and confiscated an unlicensed gun and ammunition found in their possession.

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The constable was on his way home when he stopped to assist a stranded motorist stuck on the side of the road. While assisting the motorist another vehicle with four occupants recklessly drove along Snake Road into oncoming traffic, said Masondo.

“The constable immediately proceeded in the direction of the said vehicle and intercepted it at the onramp of the N12 freeway towards Johannesburg. A search led to the recovery of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. Further investigation positively linked it to a murder incident that occurred in Crystal Park in 2017.”

On Friday, police in Kliptown, Soweto arrested a 25-year-old man for possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition following a routine crime prevention patrol in the area.

All the confiscated firearms will be subjected to ballistic tests to establish whether they may be linked to other crimes.

Meanwhile, four suspected murderers were shot dead by police in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal during an exchange of gunfire with police on Thursday.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker said members of the Rapid Rail Police Unit (RRPU), Provincial Investigations and Tracking Task Team, under the banner of “Operation Qondisa” followed up on information about a gang allegedly responsible for a spate of murders in the province.

“The four suspects were spotted travelling in a white vehicle along Higginson Highway in St Wendolins and police instructed them to stop.

“Instead of heeding to police’s instructions, the suspects opened fire towards the police officers. During the exchange of gunfire, the four suspects were fatally wounded,” said Naicker.

Naicker said preliminary police investigations confirmed that the suspects were on the list of the most wanted for cases such as murder, attempted murder, hijackings, armed robberies and extortion, among an avalanche of other serious and violent crimes.

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