Limpopo cops nab 5 armed robbers after high speed car chase
After the men robbed a supermarket, they sped off in a customer’s vehicle
LIMPOPO – A swift response by the police in Muswodi, the K9 unit, Public Order Police and the Thohoyandou Visible Policing Unit, led to the arrest of five men after a supermarket was robbed in Muswosi in the Thohyandou cluster.
According to police reports, the five accused stormed the supermarket on Tuesday, 26 May, held the staff and customers at gunpoint and robbed the business of an undisclosed amount, airtime vouchers and cellphones. They then fled the scene in a vehicle belonging to a customer.
In a statement Police Spokesperson, Brig Motlafela Mojapelo says the police responded swiftly and pursued the men who, along the way, abandoned the stolen vehicle and got into a sedan.
“The getaway vehicle was spotted heading towards the Matashe/Vhufuli intersection and with the back-up from the police in Thohoyandou, the intersection was blocked, where the getaway driver apparently lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the bushes,” the statement reads.
The armed men jumped from the vehicle and fled in various directions, and a shoot-out occurred. No one was injured and all the accused were arrested.
The police also managed to recover cash, two firearms and ammunition as well as several items which had been taken from the supermarket.
The accused, aged between 30 and 34, will appear in the Thohoyandou Magistrate’s Court on charges of business robbery, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition as well as possession of a suspected stolen motor vehicle.
Mojapelo added that additional charges can be added should they be linked to other serious crimes which have been in committed in and around Thohoyandou.
Provincial Police Commissioner, Lt General Nneke Ledwaba praised all members involved in the arrests and commended them for their determination in fighting crime in the province.
