LIMPOPO – A police official attached to the Tshilwavhusikhu Police Station has been arrested for armed robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery after he was positively linked to an incident at a filling station in Madombidzha on 13 August.
The 34-year-old police officer was arrested on Sunday morning, according to a statement by Police Spokesperson, Brig Motlafela Mojapelo.
“Three security guards transporting cash arrived at the filling station and one exited the vehicle before offloading money. He was accosted by someone, alleged to be the official, who was armed with a firearm and disarmed him of his service pistol. Another group of about eight men emerged and started shooting at the cash van. The men thereafter fled in a silver bakkie,” Mojapelo explained.
You might also want to read: Four LEDET employees and one police officer arrested for liquour licence syndicate
He added that a 37-year-old security guard was later arrested in connection with the incident, during a joint operation by police.
The officer and his accomplice appeared before the Tshilwavhusiku Magistrate’s Court on Monday and he was remanded in custody until 3 September for formal bail application, while his accomplice was granted bail of R5000.
“These arrests were some of the 1 554 arrests that were made during the joint operations which were conducted by members from the Crime Intelligence, Stock Theft, Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences, Public Order Policing, K9, Highway Patrol, Visible Policing and the Crime Prevention units, as well as detectives. The suspects face charges ranging from murder, rape, sexual assault and stock theft to the possession of unlicensed firearms, possession of dagga and dealing in drugs, robbery, assault and the contravention of the regulations under the Disaster Management Act,” he explained.
Mojapelo said police were able to recover 12 firearms, 126 443 illicit cigarettes, 32 g of nyaope, 56 knives, three vehicles as well as building materials, cellphones, cattle, large amounts of cash, computers, laptops, a printer and a motor vehicle battery.
All the other suspects have started to appear before various magistrate’s courts around the province, confirmed Mojapelo.
