A GANG of four armed men, who have been terrorising the greater Durban area with a spate of over a dozen of armed robberies was finally arrested Wednesday, following a high-speed chase on the M4.

On average, the men would take between R2 000 and R10 000 in cash during each robbery, said Enforce managing director Derek Lategan. The suspects were arrested shortly after they robbed a garage on Umgeni Road.

A breakthrough was made after Enforce investigators determined that the suspects had used the same vehicle to commit the robberies. The vehicle was eventually tracked to a small car rental company in Umlazi. The owner identified the suspects as the same men who had hired the car from him, said Lategan.

“Enforce Investigators, as well as members of the SAPS Trio Crimes Task Team from Pinetown – met last night as they planned a raid to arrest the suspects. The vehicle owner assisted them by constantly tracking the car via its GPS tracking system.”

Authorities eventually located the vehicle, which only contained three of the four suspects on the M4. The team, as well as an unmarked Enforce vehicle and four SAPS vehicles gave chase.

The men were arrested just before 1am after they crashed their vehicle into another car. Police also found two firearms in their possession, said Lategan. Police were able to arrest the fourth suspect after his accomplices led them to his home in Umlazi in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The suspects, all in the early to mid 20s, were wanted in connection with over 23 cases of armed robbery. Most of their crimes involved holding up and robbing garages and their staff of cash from the tills, cell phones, cigarettes, and other small items such as chocolates, said Lategan.

Related articles:

Police nab alleged hijacker in Glen Anil

29 burglaries and 2 robberies reported every hour