Image: Screengrab of video of the CIT heist in Mondeor on Saturday.
Gauteng police have mobilized maximum resources following a cash-in-transit (CIT) heist on the N12 in Johannesburg.
The CIT incident happened near Mondeor on Saturday.
National police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said a “female driver of a BMW was hijacked and kidnapped in the process”.
“The lady was forced at gunpoint to drive suspects towards Soweto. The suspects got off near Diepkloof and ran towards other getaway vehicle’s.
“Air support and a multidisciplinary team have also been activated to search for at least 15 to 20 suspects who got away with an undisclosed amount of money during the CIT heist that occurred at about 11:25 on Saturday morning,” Mathe said.
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Mathe urged the Gauteng community to be on the lookout for suspects travelling in a black Golf 8 gti, a blue BMW X6, a white Mitsibishi Pajero, a black Range Rover and a white Toyota Fortuna.
“During the CIT heist, four guards attached to Fidelity were injured and taken to hospital. One sustained gunshot wounds while the others sustained injuries after the cash vehicle overturned before being bombed by the suspects.
Mathe said police are investigating a case of hijacking and kidnapping , cash in transit and attempted murder.
“Communities are once again reminded not to pick up money from CIT crime scenes as this is amounts to theft and defeating the ends of justice. CIT scenes are dangerous and can pose a risk to the loss of life as explosives are often used to blow up these cash vans.”
CIT heist have spiralled this week after a number of incidents were reported.
Last month, the head of the Hawks said despite the more than 600 arrests in the first quarter of the year by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), CIT heists remained a “thorn in the country’s economy.”
Lebeya said the Hawks collaborated with private organisations such as the Cash-In-Transit Association of South Africa to beef up the fight against these crimes.
“For the period under review, 27 arrests were made for CIT robberies while there were six convictions with combined sentences totalling 121 years,” he said.
Lebeya said the Hawks arrested 611 suspects who appeared in court during the first quarter of the 2023-24 financial year. Of those who appeared in court, 229 were convicted and sentenced.
Additonal reporting by Marizka Coetzer
ALSO READ: CIT heists ‘a thorn in the economy of the country’
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