Second north would-be robber dies
Two out of three suspects died following a shootout with police.
The second would-be robber in a shootout with police in Akasia on Tuesday died upon arrival at the hospital on the same day, police said.
One of the three would-be robbers was fatally wounded on the scene, while the third suspect managed to flee the scene on foot, according to national police spokesperson Colonel Brenda Muridili.
The police tactical response team, supported by the national cash-in-transit (CIT) task team, conducted an intelligence-driven operation in Akasia that resulted in the shootout between the police and the suspects on Tuesday evening.
“The three suspects are believed to be part of a syndicate that commits business robberies in and around Tshwane,” she said.
The syndicate has been linked to CIT robberies as well.
Police recovered three firearms and a Nissan NP200 bakkie.
“Officers received information that the suspects were planning to rob a business in Amandasig near Wonderpark north of Pretoria. The suspects arrived after the business had, however, already closed and thus they decided to leave.”
The police pursued the suspects’ vehicle, which had no registration plates with three occupants in it. The officers tried to stop the bakkie at the corner of Doreen and First streets in Chantelle and an exchange of gunfire ensued.
She said the firearms will be taken for ballistic testing to determine whether they were used in other crimes. The bakkie, which is suspected to have been stolen, is currently being analysed by the SAPS’s vehicle identification unit.
“The suspects have been linked to at least 10 business robberies in the Tshwane district,” Muridili said.
“Since the inception of the lockdown, the syndicate has been committing business robberies. The national CIT task team has to date arrested four members of the syndicate.”
They have been identified as Bibo Mavundlha, Boyboy Mogale, Koketso Phahla and Sammy Sebelebele.
The four were arrested between 15 and 22 April 2020 in separate incidents. They are facing charges ranging from aggravated robbery, business robbery, possession of stolen vehicles, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
The four have already appeared in various courts and remanded in custody.
“All the arrested men are linked to CIT robberies. It is believed that since the lockdown started, they have been targeting businesses that are operating [under the lockdown] such as supermarkets,” she said.
The task team’s efforts to trace persons of interest linked to CIT robberies continues.
“They are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to ensure the inhabitants of this country are and feel safe,” Muridili concluded.
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