Cops arrest 10 for Malamulele Police Station robbery

LIMPOPO – Police officials yesterday (January 19) made a breakthrough in the robbery case at the Malamulele Police Station, after the arrest of 10 men.

The station was stormed by a group of armed suspects on November 21, 2021, who robbed the members on duty at the Community Service Centre of their firearms.

“The members were then locked inside the back of a police van. The heavily armed suspects proceeded to take R4 rifles, pump guns, pistols and ammunition from the safe. They left the station after they locked the gate and proceeded to rob nearby businesses,” police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said in a statement. 

Read more: Malamulele SAPS members held at gunpoint

He explained that a team of investigators that included Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Crime Intelligence, the Limpopo Tracking Team and Provincial Investigations Unit were assembled to track down the robbers.

“Seven of the men were found at their hideout in Medinyeng village near Kgapane in the Bolobedu policing area. The other three were arrested at a lodge in the Dwarsloop area outside Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga,” Mojapelo said and indicated that the police affected these arrests after they received information that the men intended to commit an ATM bombing in Mpumalanga.

The robbers have been positively linked to several ATM and armed robberies in Limpopo, including a recent bombing at the Capricorn toll gate along the N1 north.

“A Warrant Officer was shot and wounded in the process. These men were also positively linked with the incident where a Sergeant attached to the Botlokwa Police Station was robbed of his service pistol, R5 rifle and bulletproof vest,” Mojapelo added. 

Explosives, rounds of ammunition and 11 firearms, some robbed at the police station, were recovered along with bullet proof vests, illicit cigarettes, blasting cartridges, balaclavas and cash.

“Two motor vehicles, which were reportedly used to commit these crimes, were also seized. Police investigations have already begun to circulate these vehicles to determine whether they are stolen. The suspects, aged between 30 and 48, will appear before various magistrate’s courts across Limpopo and Mpumalanga to face charges of unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, possession of explosives, conspiracy to commit crimes, attempted murder, robbery with aggravated circumstances, carjackings and an attack on a police station,” he concluded.

Also read: Malamulele SAPS robbed: Top brass call for arrests

These arrests have been welcomed by provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe.

“The meticulous investigations and tireless efforts of these members are highly commendable. I am ecstatic that the suspects who are allegedly responsible for the attack on our members, undermining the authority of the state and subsequently tormenting our communities, will finally face the full might of the law. We will also ensure that the remaining suspects are apprehended and firearms recovered,” she added.

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