No police officers were killed in the foiled cash-in-transit heist in Rosettenville on Monday, the independent police investigative directorate (IPID) clarified in a statement released on Tuesday.
The IPID said the confusion was created when it issued a statement earlier about the number of police officers who got injured and the criminals who died during the shootout in the suburb situated south of Johannesburg.
It also poured cold water over reports that some members of the police were involved in the planning of the heist. The IPID added that the police officers who got hit during the gun fight are recovering in hospital.
“This created distorted information because some of the police were not wearing uniform. They were confused with the criminals. So, no police officer died [during the shootout], only criminals [lost their lives],” said the IPID statement.
An inside job was alleged to have taken place and it was reported that two members of the SA Police Service were on the run following the foiled robbery.
It was also reported that one of the suspects arrested is believed to have been linked to other cash-in-transit heists around the country, and had been evading arrest for months.
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