KZN police foil robbery, arrest 10 after shootout

A group of armed men who robbed a supermarket in Harding, KwaZulu-Natal, have been arrested following a gunfight with police.

The men stormed into the store at around 11am on Saturday and held up employees, said police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker on Tuesday.

“They pointed [at] patrons and employees with firearms and instructed them to lie down whilst demanding cash.”

He said police were immediately alerted to the robbery and promptly arrived on the scene.

“When police arrived at the scene they were met with gunfire and a shootout ensued. A total of six suspects, aged between 26 and 35, were arrested at the scene whilst three firearms and ammunition were also seized. The suspects were also found in possession of stolen cash and airtime.”

Naicker said other police units also responded after a getaway vehicle was spotted travelling towards Camperdown on the R56 Thornville Road.

“The suspects were intercepted at the Umlaas Road interchange. A further four suspects, aged between 26 and 38 were placed under arrest.”

He said they were found in possession of two unlicensed firearms and 16 rounds of ammunition.

“More cash and airtime vouchers that were stolen were recovered from the suspects. All the arrested suspects will be appearing at the Harding and Camperdown Magistrate’s courts today for being in illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.”

Provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Khombinkosi Jula welcomed the arrests, saying “criminals should realise by now that we are out in full force this festive season”.

“These arrests demonstrate that we are committed to fighting crime in our province and our rapid reaction capability has proven successful whenever it has been tested.”

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.