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Police nab gang terrorising Joburg and Hillbrow residents [VIDEO]
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo said officers were monitoring the criminals before they were arrested.
Police said officers were monitoring the criminals before they were arrested. Photo: Supplied
Gauteng police have called on people who have been victims of crime in the Johannesburg CBD and Hillbrow.
This comes after a gang suspected to be responsible for street robberies in Hillbrow and the Johannesburg CBD was arrested on Sunday.
In a video which went viral, the gang can be seen accosting people before robbing them.
Gang
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo said officers were monitoring the criminals before they were arrested for their crimes.
“The arrest was effected after several videos emerged whereby the gang of about four to five men attacked the victims and robbed them of their belongings. Some of the suspects are said to be hiding at an abandoned flat in Hillbrow.”
“Members from the South African Police Service and Johannesburg Metro Police Department kept close observation of the gang until they pounced on them soon after they robbed yet another person, he said.”
Masondo said victims and those with information can call Lieutenant Colonel Rivalani Nkotswi at 082 319 9955.
“Tip-offs and information can also be sent via MySAPS App or Crime Stop on 08600 10111.”
Police officer killed
Meanwhile, Gauteng Police have also arrested a man accused of fatally stabbing an on-duty police officer on New Year’s Day.
The 52-year-old Warrant Officer Ntshidi Marutla was disarmed of his service pistol and fatally stabbed during a stop and search operation in Rosettenville on New Year’s Day.
Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said another member also sustained a stab wound and was taken to a nearby medical facility for medical care.
“At the time of his death, Warrant Officer Marutla had 30 years’ service having joined the organisation in 1992. He was attached to the Moffatview Station.
Concerns over police killings
Mathe said Gauteng police have also launched a manhunt for a group of four men who fatally shot an off-duty officer at his home on 29 December 2022.
“Warrant Officer Anton Seeber, a detective attached to the Linden Police Station, was asleep when unknown gunmen entered his home demanding his service pistol. He was shot and killed and robbed of his personal belongings including his service pistol.”
The National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), General Fannie Masemola said police are concerned about the ongoing attacks and killing of officers.
“We are consistently implementing our Police Safety Strategy and Plan to ensure the safety of members on and off duty. Communities need to also come on board and play an active role in handing over or sharing information on known criminals in their communities,” he said.
ALSO READ: 260 nabbed for illegal possession of firearms in Gauteng in December
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