Two suspected armed robbers from Barberton was arrested near Absa Square in Mbombela on Saturday, January 11.

According to Ghost from Divergent Ops, the company received a tip-off about a minibus taxi that was coming to Mbombela from Barberton, transporting a group of men said to be involved in armed robberies and drug dealing in the area.

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“The taxi was stopped at the Puma fuel station and the suspects were questioned. SAPS Crime Intelligence assisted with the interrogation and searches. During the interrogation it was established that one of the houses where two suspects were staying in Barberton was being used to store firearms. We took the suspects to the house and found two firearms as well as explosives,“ Ghost said.

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He said the two suspects led them to two additional houses occupied by alleged zama zamas. “One armed suspect ran away as we approached the first hideout. Six zama zamas were found at the second house. They were arrested and taken to Barberton Police Station.

“Our team then returned to Mbombela with the police and they were taken to a guest house in Sonheuwel where the suspects had booked themselves in for four days. In total, eight suspects were arrested,” he said.

A provincial police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane, confirmed the arrests.

The police will release more information at a later stage as they are still gathering information.