5 arrested in Limpopo business robbery crackdown
Limpopo police say five suspects arrested in Bolobedu and Tzaneen may be linked to multiple business robbery cases.
TZANEEN – Five men aged between 31 and 44 have been arrested following a major police operation targeting suspects linked to a series of business robberies across Limpopo.
According to Limpopo police, the suspects were arrested during an intelligence-driven operation conducted in the early hours of Friday (May 22), in villages within the Bolobedu and Tzaneen policing areas.
The operation, known as Operation Vimper, involved members of the Provincial Tracking Team, Provincial Investigation Unit and Provincial Organised Crime Unit, with support from private security and investigation teams.
Police spokespersons said the arrests followed information received by Crime Intelligence about a group allegedly involved in robberies at filling stations, liquor outlets and other commercial premises in the Capricorn, Mopani and Vhembe districts.
Investigations suggest the suspects allegedly used angle-grinders to force open safes and ATM machines before stealing cash, cigarettes, liquor and groceries.
The group is also being investigated in connection with an incident in the Sebayeng policing area, where suspects allegedly exchanged gunfire with police and private security officers responding to an alarm at a business centre before fleeing the scene.
During the operation, police confiscated four firearms, including two revolvers and two pistols with removed serial numbers, as well as 35 rounds of ammunition.
Officers also seized 20 angle-grinder cutting wheels believed to have been used during the commission of the crimes, along with three vehicles allegedly linked to the suspects – two Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedans and a Mazda 6.
The suspects are expected to appear in the Bolobedu and Tzaneen Magistrate’s Courts tomorrow (May 25) on charges relating to the possession of prohibited firearms and ammunition.
Police said investigations are continuing and more charges may be added as detectives work to link the suspects to additional robbery cases across the province.
Limpopo provincial commissioner Lt Gen Thembi Hadebe commended the operational teams involved in the arrests, saying the breakthrough sends a strong message against organised crime in the province.
