LIMPOPO – A 25-year-old armed robbery suspect was arrested on Friday and his accomplice shot during a shootout with police in Thohoyandou.
This comes after a sting joint operation was launched in the area to track down a group of armed suspects believed to be responsible for a number of business robberies at local shopping centers.
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“Police received a tip-off from the community about the suspects and they reacted swiftly. On their arrival at the shopping center, the suspects began shooting at police, who retaliated and one suspect was shot dead in the process. An accomplice was apprehended and the other two suspects managed to evade the arrest,” police spokesperson, Col Moatshe Ngoepe explained.
A white Nissan hardbody was recovered during the arrest and Ngoepe says the identity of the deceased, the origin of the recovered motor vehicle and the possible linkage of the arrested suspect and the deceased to other criminal activities in the area, will still be determined by ongoing investigations
“A manhunt for the remaining two suspects continues and anyone with information that can lead to their arrest may contact Major General Rosina Mulaudzi at 082 451 7217.”
Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba, has warned criminals out there who continue with their “dubious acts of terrorising communities” that they will meet the full might of the law.
Ngoepe says the arrested suspect will appear before the Thohoyandou Magistrates Court, soon.
