Five suspects dead in shootout with police after CIT heist, guns and cash recovered

Five suspects involved in a cash-in-transit (CIT) heist in the Eastern Cape were killed in a shootout with the police on Monday.

The incident occurred around 6am when an SBV vehicle was ambushed, bombed, and robbed on the N6 near Macleantown in East London.

The CIT truck was on its way to Stutterheim when it was attacked by multiple suspects in a convoy of vehicles.

The suspects fled with an undisclosed amount of money.

Suspects abandon stolen cars

Three guards were injured during the heist as their vehicle overturned.

An SBV escort vehicle was also allegedly shot at and a backup to the scene was called.

The suspects allegedly fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of money and abandoned three vehicles from their fleet, which were later discovered to have been reported stolen in other provinces.

“Explosives were also recovered on the scene,” Hawks Eastern Cape spokesperson, Yolisa Mgolodela said in a statement on Tuesday.

Within a few hours of the incident, the police tracked the CIT robbers to a house in Kom location, Keiskammahoek.

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When the officers arrived, they were attacked by the suspects using high-calibre rifles, resulting in a shootout.

“The police were forced to retaliate with the same force which ended with five of the assailants fatally wounded,” Mgolodela explained.

Cash in original money bags, three AK-47 rifles, one R1 rifle, four R5 rifles, and 17 magazines containing a large number of live rounds of ammunition were recovered and seized from the house.

The owner of the house was apprehended. The 58-year-old suspect is set to appear in King William’s Town Magistrate’s Court soon.

More suspects nabbed

Mgolodela reported that further investigations led the police to stop a suspicious vehicle driving towards Craddock from Queenstown.

The suspects, driving a Porsche with a Gauteng province (GP) licence plate, failed to stop at a roadblock.

The occupants attempted to flee but were intercepted.

“The chase ensued and conventional methods were used to bring it to a halt,” the provincial police spokesperson continued. Three suspects, aged between 44 and 48, were arrested.

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“Cash in stacks of R100 and R200 notes in original cash bags, four burner cellphones and a Porsche Cayenne vehicle were seized during the arrest.

“On circulation, the Porsche was found to be reported stolen in Gauteng.”

The suspects will make their first court appearance at the Cradock Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 1 August.

Suspects arrested for guns

Meanwhile, one suspect was arrested in the Western Cape for unlawfully possessing guns and ammunition, according to the South African Police Services (Saps).

The 45-year-old was arrested at a farm in Phillipi following a raid by the police.

“Members attached to Operation Shanela received information about firearms on a farm in Philippi.

“They operationalised the information and proceeded to the identified premises and searched it.

“The members found an AK 47 assault rifle, a 7.65 pistol without a serial number, a 357 revolver and an assortment of ammunition on the premises,” Western Cape police spokesperson, Wesley Twigg said in a statement.

READ MORE: BMW cash-in-transit robbery foiled in Mangaung

The suspect will appear in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court once he has been charged with illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

Additionally, a 64-year-old man was also nabbed for the same crime.

Elsies River police searched a premises in Springbok Place, Balvenie, and confiscated a 38 Special revolver along with ammunition in the early hours of Tuesday.

He is expected to be in the dock at the Goodwood Magistrate’s Court once charged.