Four men believed to be involved in multiple cases of people being followed from the airport and robbed were arrested in Alexandra on Thursday morning.
One of the four was wounded and two handguns were recovered after a shoot-out and chase.
The national commissioner of the SAPS, Gen Khehla John Sitole, welcomed the arrests and praised members for their sterling work.
According to Brig Vishnu Naidoo, national police spokesperson, members from the National Investigation Unit (NINU), together with members of OR Tambo International Airport and the SAPS Flying Squad, acting on intelligence, arrested the men in Alexandra.
The suspects were allegedly planning a robbery when the team pounced on them as they were changing the number plates on their sedan.
Naidoo said three suspects managed to flee, initiating a high-speed chase and shoot-out between the suspects and police. The suspects’ vehicle swerved off the road, crashing to a halt.
“I am very pleased with the progress we are making to significantly reduce this category of crime, but more importantly, I am equally pleased that our proactive strategy is yielding positive results,” said Sitole.
