Police have killed four suspected cash-in-transit robbers in a shootout on the N4 near Mmakau between North West and Gauteng on Monday afternoon.
Police said they had compiled information about the gang of suspected robbers and the vehicles they would be using to commit the crime.
A team comprising various police units including the Hawks, the anti-gang unit, tactical response, provincial traffic saturation unit, a Gauteng Traffic Police chopper, as well as numerous security and car tracking companies was put together.
After the shootout, four suspects aged between 30 and 45 lay on the ground motionless and dead.
Police spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said three unlicensed firearms including a rifle were seized.
Intelligence gathered about the criminals
It is reported that the multi-disciplinary team received intelligence on the suspects planning to commit a cash-in-transit robbery between North West and Gauteng.
Mogale explained: “The information was operationalised and led the team to the N4 highway where the identified suspects’ vehicle was observed.
“The suspects’ vehicle was spotted as it turned towards Mmakau.
“A high-speed chase and shootout ensued as soon as the suspects realised they were about to be captured. They lost control of their vehicle and collided with a fence.
“Four of the suspects were fatally wounded and three unlicensed firearms, two handguns and a rifle were recovered from the scene.”
Investigations into foiled robbery are underway.
War on crime
Police Minister Bheki Cele said recently that the men and women in blue are slowly winning the war on crime.
On October 12, Sifiso Nicholas Gwala, 50, and 47-year-old Mondli Clifford Shabalala made their first court appearances before the Ntuzuma magistrate’s court.
The pair is linked to a cash-in-transit heist near the court building in July.
They face charges of contravening the Explosives Act, cash-in-transit robbery, possession of firearms and ammunition.
Captain Bonnie Nxumalo, spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crimes, said the suspects have been remanded in police custody until their next court date.
