SEVEN men were arrested a few hours after they allegedly killed a man in Westville during a house robbery.
The robbery and murder took place at about 1am on 31 December when a 43-year-old man was approached by the gun-wielding gang while he was sitting outside on his balcony. “He tried to close the door and one of the robbers fired a shot through the door, fatally wounding him. He was declared dead at the scene by paramedics,” said Captain Thulani Zwane, media spokesman for the KZN SAPS.
According to Cpt Zwane, the men pillaged the home before they fled the scene. A case of murder and house robbery was opened at the Westville police station and, in a joint operation between the SAPS and the Durban Metro Police, a thorough investigation began.
He added that all of the stolen goods were recovered, which included three cellphones and a wallet. “A 9mm pistol suspected to be used during the shooting was found as well as a toy gun. The firearm will be sent for ballistic tests to establish if it was used in any other crimes in the country,” said Cpt Zwane.
The arrested suspects, who are aged between 25 and 30 years old, will appear in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court and will face charges of murder and house robbery. “They will also be linked to two more house robbery cases that were reported in the area in the past week,” added Cpt Zwane.
The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni, commended the police for the speedy arrest of the criminals and the recovery of the firearm believed to be used in the commission of an offence. “The results shown during the integrated approach between the police and Metro in KZN is an indication of our zero tolerance approach towards crime,” said Ngobeni.
