Eight suspects are to appear in the Brits Magistrate’s Court today following a series of crimes committed two months ago, allegedly by them.

According to Pretoria Rekord, the accused face multiple charges, including double murder, robbery, hijacking, and possession of stolen goods.

Their arrest followed an intelligence-driven operation led by district detectives and the Brits Trio Task Team, targeting crime hotspots in Atteridgeville, Sgandaff, and Majakaneng Village.

Local police spokesperson Captain Mpho Manyoba says law enforcement officers spotted a white Isuzu bakkie in Atteridgeville that had been hijacked during a robbery in Mooinooi, outside Brits.

Manyoba adds the vehicle had been stolen from a 55-year-old man who was shot and killed while returning home after closing his vegetable market.

“The man was attacked by three suspects, who robbed him of his bakkie, cellphone, and cash before fatally shooting him.”

During the incident, one of the robbers was mistakenly shot by his accomplices.

“The injured suspect, a 39-year-old, was later killed, and his body was dumped in the bushes near Majakaneng Village,” says Manyoba.

The first arrest occurred in Atteridgeville, where three suspects were apprehended after officers stopped the hijacked vehicle.

Further investigations led police to a house in Majakaneng Village’s Sgandaff Section, where five more suspects were arrested on Friday.

Manyoba says these individuals are believed to have been involved in the robbery and double murders.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that two of the five suspects arrested in Majakaneng are South African nationals, while the other three suspects are undocumented Mozambican nationals.

“The Mozambican suspects face additional charges under the Immigration Act [13 of 2002] for being in the country illegally.”

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