Savannah Mall armed robbers arrested near Pietermaritzburg
Some of the stolen items and the getaway vehicle was recovered during the arrest of five men on Friday (May 19).
POLOKWANE – The five men allegedly responsible for the armed robbery of a jewellery store in Savannah Mall were arrested on Friday night (May 19).
The men were arrested in Hilton, near Pietermartizburg in KwaZulu-Natal by members of the SAPS Limpopo Tracking Team, the Limpopo Murder and Robbery Unit, Pietermaritzburg Highway Patrol, Magma Investigations and Security as well as Willie K9 Security during an intelligence-led operation.
The group of armed men entered the store at around 09:00 on May 12 and demanded money and gold from a 33-year-old woman who was on duty.
They then proceeded to the display area and safe and took jewellery worth thousands of rands and put it in bags. Two of the suspects assaulted the employees before they fled the scene in a grey sedan.
Read more: VIDEO: Armed robbers target jewellery store in Savannah Mall
Police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said the men who are between the ages of 25 and 35 were found in possession of some of the stolen items and the getaway vehicle at the time of the arrest.
The provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe said the arrest sends a clear message that Limpopo will never be a playground for criminals.
“I am forever indebted to the commitment of the men and women in blue for the breakthrough in these sophisticated criminal activities, in which Provincial Operation ‘Wu Kwihi Nawu’ yields remarkable results,” she said.
