M13 shoot-out ends alleged gang’s Ballito and Umdloti crime spree
The alleged robbers were linked to incidents in Umdloti and Salt Rock.
A suspected robbery gang linked to crimes in Ballito and Umdloti was stopped after a high-speed chase and shoot-out in Westville early last Thursday morning.
Marshall Security intercepted a white BMW believed to be used by the gang on the M13 near Kloof at about 4.30am on March 12. The interception followed months of co-ordination between Marshall Security and Umhlali, Durban North and Westville police.
According to investigators, the men are believed to be behind a string of house robberies, housebreakings and high-end car thefts in several areas, including the recent robberies in Boundary Lane in Salt Rock and Bellamont Road in Umdloti.
The alleged modus operandi involved breaking into homes, stealing keys and fleeing in the victims’ luxury cars. Victims were often threatened with guns or knives and tied up during the robberies.
That includes the Umdloti robbery at about 3.30am on Wednesday, March 4, when two armed men broke into a home on Bellamont Road and stole a wallet, car keys and a Land Rover. The car was recovered later that morning in Umlazi.
Investigators later identified the white BMW believed to have been used to transport and drop off the robbers at the targeted properties.
When security officers attempted to stop the vehicle on the M13, the robbers opened fire, sparking a high-speed chase towards Pinetown. Security officers returned fire.
The pursuit ended at a petrol station near the Pavilion Shopping Centre in Westville, where two of the occupants attempted to flee on foot.
Security officers arrested the driver, while the rear passenger died after jumping over a wall and falling down a steep embankment. A third occupant was later found dead in the front passenger seat with a gunshot wound.
Police are investigating cases of murder and attempted murder.
Officers recovered an unlicensed firearm, a signal jammer and housebreaking tools from the vehicle. The BMW was also fitted with false registration plates.
Marshall Security said investigators have also linked the men to several other cases in Westville and Kloof.
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