While members of the Provincial Anti-Hijacking Task Team in Ehlanzeni were conducting tracking and tracing operations on Thursday, April 9, they received information about a hijacked courier bakkie at around 15:00. It was reported that four armed men had allegedly pointed a firearm at the driver and robbed him before fleeing the scene.

Police then immediately proceeded to Kabokweni. The suspects were traced to a vehicle believed to have been used in the commission of the crime, which was located in Kamsogwaba, within the Pienaar policing area.

ALSO READ: Lydenburg police probe double murder on R37, arrests made

The address was tactically approached and a blue Polo, with Gauteng registration plates, was intercepted while exiting the premises.

“Upon noticing the police one suspect, armed with a gun, fled from the vehicle. Shots were fired during the incident; however, police officers successfully apprehended the remaining suspects inside the vehicle,” police spokesperson Captain Mpho Nonyane-Mpe said.

Three 9mm pistols with filed-off serial numbers, three magazines, and 14 live rounds of ammunition were found. Additional items recovered included cell phones and parcels belonging to the courier company containing clothing and cosmetics, as well as suspected stolen property.

ALSO READ: Man from Lydenburg convicted of stabbing and killing woman with a broken bottle

The four suspects, aged between 24 and 39, appeared in the Kanyamazane Magistrate’s Court yesterday on April 10. They face charges of hijacking, possession of prohibited firearms, unlawful possession of ammunition, and possession of suspected stolen property. The outcome of the court hearing was not available at the time of publication.