A 35-year-old man was arrested after shooting and wounding a foreign national during a botched robbery.
According to Sergeant Linkie Lefakane, the Bekkersdal Police spokesperson, the assailant is from Poortjie in Westonaria, but the attempted robbery took place in Bekkersdal.
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Lefakane said that on 23 March, at about 9pm, the victim was about to close his business when he was accosted by four men, two of whom were armed.
A shot was fired when the men instructed the victim to reopen the business.
“Constables Pontsho Thipe and Albert Phalafala were patrolling the sector when they heard the gun-shot. They swiftly responded to where the sound came from and discovered a man with a gunshot wound lying on his back,” Lefakane said.
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The Bekkersdal Police later called for backup while searching for the suspects in the area around the scene. One of the four suspects was found hiding under a car at a house in Selopethyma Street, Bekkersdal.
“He was still in possession of a firearm. He was arrested and will be charged with attempted murder and being in possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition,” she said.
The suspect was to appear in the Westonaria Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 27 March.
The Bekkersdal Station Commander, Colonel Mbangwa Nkhwashu, was pleased with the officers’ reaction to the crime and applauded them for their good work.
“Crime will never beat us if we stay within our sectors,” Nkhwashu said.
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