10 suspects arrested after an armed robbery in Winterton on Friday are set to appear in the Weenen Magistrate’s Court later today (Monday).
Winterton police arrested the suspects minutes after they allegedly committed an armed robbery at a spaza shop in the area. All the stolen items from the shop were recovered and an unlicensed firearm suspected to have been used during the robbery was seized.
The arrested suspects, aged between 18 and 28, will face charges of armed robbery and possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
The spaza shop owner was approached by the group of suspects, who allegedly pointed a gun at him. They robbed him of cash, cell-phones and cigarettes before fleeing the scene in their getaway vehicle.
Winterton police who were in the area spotted the vehicle driving at high speed and chased it. The vehicle was stopped and searched, which resulted in the arrest of 10 suspects found to be in possession of goods taken during the robbery.
An unlicensed 9mm pistol with nine live rounds of ammunition was also found. It will be sent for ballistic tests to establish if it was used in any other crimes in the province.
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni, commended the speedy arrest of the suspects. “Members of Winterton police responded immediately to the suspicious vehicle, even though they were not aware that it was involved in an armed robbery. This shows that our members are dedicated and committed in fighting crime in our province,” she said.
