97 wanted CIT suspects arrested between January and June
The scene of an accident the suspects’ getaway cars were involved in. Picture: SAPS
A routine patrol by a Gauteng special patrol traffic officer on Friday morning resulted in the foiling of a potential cash-in-transit (CIT) heist.
Police said the officer was on the R25 road near to Greenstone Mall in Edenvale when a member of the public tipped him off about a robbery at the mall.
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A shootout resulted in suspects fleeing the scene, but not too far from the mall the officer saw a CIT van that had just been in an accident with another vehicle, a grey BMW.
The BMW was reportedly filed with explosives. A Lexus was said to have been used by the suspects to make their escape. The explosives were likely being used in CIT robberies to blow up vans and steal money.
No arrests have been made yet.
Gauteng traffic police spokesperson Sello Maremane said the officer’s efforts demonstrated police’s “unwavering zeal to root out crime in the province”.
Any members of the public with information about the incident are urged to contact their nearest police station.
“Lastly, we appeal to the members of the public not to try and apprehend these criminals when spotted as they are dangerous,” Maremane said.
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