LIMPOPO – Limpopo police have intensified efforts to clamp down on serious crimes in Mopani District, arresting two additional suspects for impersonating police officers.

The arrests follow the earlier apprehension of nine alleged criminals linked to a spate of armed business robberies.

Earlier this month, nine suspects aged between 33 and 50-years-old were arrested for a series of violent business robberies targeting Shoprite Usave stores in Giyani, Mokwakwaila, and Letsitele.

Those operations also led to the recovery of unlicensed firearms, ammunition, and suspected stolen goods.

In the latest incident, which took place on Friday (August 22), two men arrived at a residence in Skhiming village.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba says they introduced themselves as police officers and claimed they had been instructed to collect a vehicle belonging to one of the suspects already in custody.

The occupants of the house, although suspicious, handed over the keys.

“However, vigilant community members intervened, stopped the vehicle along the way, and alerted police. The suspects, aged 23 and 35, were arrested on the spot for impersonating police officers and attempting to steal a motor vehicle,” says Mashaba.

Both men were expected to appear before the Giyani Magistrate’s Court on Monday (August 25).