The two armed airport robbery suspects that were shot and killed in Pretoria on Sunday evening had been linked to at least 16 other crimes.
A third suspect, who was wounded during the shoot-out with police in Haarhoff Street in Pretoria Moot, is still in hospital after sustaining gunshot wounds to his head and shoulder. He could not be linked to previous crimes.
According to Brig Vishnu Naidoo, the incident was as a result of a joint intelligence driven operation comprising members from National Crime Intelligence, the National Investigation Unit (NINU), Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (Hawks), Gauteng K9 and Tracker. The team responded to intelligence of an armed robbery that was to be committed in the Pretoria Moot area involving a blue BMW.
The team spotted the BMW at the victim’s house while the robbery was already taking place in the driveway. As the team confronted the suspects in an attempt to arrest them, a shoot-out ensued. Two male suspects, Tyson Mdluli (43) and Benson Kalusi (40) were shot and killed and the third suspect, whose identity cannot be disclosed at this stage, was wounded.
The suspects were profiled and thus far the wounded suspect will be facing charges of two counts of murder (Mdluli and Kalusi deaths), armed robbery, five counts of attempted murder, possession of unlicensed arms, possession of unlicensed ammunition and possession of suspected stolen property (the BMW).
The two deceased suspects were either awaiting trial or have been linked to other cases through fingerprints or both. Kalusi was awaiting trial for nine crimes and has been linked to four other cases through fingerprints in the Johannesburg and surrounding areas committed between 2006 and 2013.
Tyson Mdluli was awaiting trial for three crimes, also in the Johannesburg and surrounding areas, committed between 2011 and 2013.
In most of these cases, the suspects have been involved in armed robberies and other cases include cases such as attempted murder and possession of suspected stolen property. The weapons recovered at the scene have been sent for ballistic testing to determine if they were involved in and used in other crimes.
The National Commissioner of Police, Gen Riah Phiyega, has praised the team for the sterling work they have done.
“Our officers place their lives on the line daily to track and arrest such robbers and this case is no different. The lengthy charge sheet of these suspects is a clear indication of the ruthless calibre of these suspects and I thank God that our colleagues were able to escape this life threatening situation unscathed,” said Phiyega.
“Crime Intelligence played a crucial role in this success. We are now enjoying the benefits of a more focused intelligence structure, with a much more stable leadership team. We have made 26 new senior management appointments and by March next year we would have appointed 900 people in the intelligence environment,” added Phiyega.
