The highly successful and impactful Divergent Ops Tactical Team assisted police in a major breakthrough regarding a crime syndicate.
Since January, this sophisticated syndicate had been linked to a series of heinous crimes, including abduction, robbery and assault.
The operation, spearheaded by the Divergent Ops Tactical Team, linked three suspects – Mbuso Ernest Nkambule, Thando Terrence Mathebula and Ntando Lekhuleni – to more than a dozen armed robberies and other serious offences this year alone.
A series of crimes, including abduction, robbery and assault, was unearthed in a major breakthrough. This criminal syndicate operated mainly in Barberton and Mbombela.
According to Divergent’s chief of operations, Ghost, the operation that led to this breakthrough commenced on August 11.
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At the time, a Divergent Ops employee was abducted, beaten and robbed while waiting at the bus stop near the Tshwane University of Technology.
“The victim was abandoned on the Barberton side of Kaapsehoop Road. Our tactical team in the area was immediately notified. Despite a chilling message from his attackers, a full-scale hunt was launched. The suspects’ vehicle was located using various data sources. Ghost said they immediately knew the attack on their employee was not an isolated incident but part of a larger criminal enterprise.”
The investigation included background checks and tracking, eventually leading the team to a vehicle on Brondal Road on August 18.
The same vehicle was linked to an armed robbery in Mataffin in May. “When the tactical team stopped the car, a second vehicle pulled up. The driver of the Nissan NP200 said he had been hijacked by the men in the first car and was able to identify two of the suspects on the scene,” Ghost told the newspaper.
The gang is believed to have used at least two other vehicles during their crime spree, which have yet to be found.
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The suspects were taken to Nelspruit Police Station, where the scale of their criminal activities became clear. A record search positively linked them to ten crime dockets. “In a subsequent identification parade, complainants in nine of those 10 dockets were able to identify one of the suspects. The investigation has since expanded and currently includes a total of 15 dockets from this year alone.
“Many of these cases were armed robberies and were transferred to the Mpumalanga High Court due to the severity of the crimes. The case of the abducted employee is central to the prosecution’s case, and investigators are continuing to gather evidence. The tactical team and SAPS are fully committed to supporting the prosecution to ensure the perpetrators are held accountable.”
A spokesperson of the Mpumalanga police confirmed that Nkambule, Mathebula and Lekhuleni appeared in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court on August 21.
They were denied bail, remain in police custody and will appear in court again on September 10. They face 15 charges, including robbery, hijacking and kidnapping.
