Manhunt launched for Hazyview CIT gang of 15

More details have emerged about the cash-in-transit (CIT) heist near Hazyview which resulted in the murder of one Fidelity security guard and the wounding of two of his colleagues yesterday, January 25.

According to a statement by a SAPS spokesperson, a group of about 15 armed suspects, driving a number of vehicles, attacked security guards who were travelling towards Hazyview on the R40 in two CIT vehicles at about 10:00.

Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said, “The suspects are said to have used the Mercedes-Benz sedan they were driving to collide head on with one of the cash vans. They then opened fire on the guards, resulting in one security guard losing his life after sustaining serious injuries.”

The suspects then allegedly robbed the guards of their firearms and detonated explosives to break into one CIT van. Another security guard sustained mild injuries from the bomb blast while a third guard was assaulted by the hijackers. The Mercedes-Benz and the CIT van were destroyed by the ensuing fire.

“The suspects helped themselves and took an undisclosed amount of cash before fleeing the scene in a Jeep Cherokee, Kia SUV and a Ford Ranger double-cab bakkie. They headed in the direction of Masoyi and members of the police, in collaboration with other security forces, joined hands in pursuit of the suspects,” Mohlala said.

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A second shootout between the suspects and law enforcement agencies then erupted. The suspects fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash. Not long after, one of the stolen revolvers was recovered at the scene. An undisclosed amount of cash which was stolen during the incident was then found in the nearby bushes.

While police were busy processing the scene, a Sanral employee who was responsible for cleaning the roads was found in possession of an undisclosed amount of cash which is suspected to have been stolen from the damaged cash van.

The 32-year-old was immediately arrested on charges of theft and will appear in the Hazyview Magistrate’s Court today, January 26.

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Mohlala said that the provincial commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, immediately assembled a team of investigation experts to swiftly bring the perpetrators to book.

The R40 has since been reopened to traffic.

Anyone with information regarding the heist and the suspects can contact Mohlala on 071 353 6955.