Police foil robbery plot in Sandton
The vehicles were carrying six armed suspects who were found in possession of two rifles and three pistols loaded with live rounds of ammunition.
Police in Parktown intercepted a courier company bakkie and a private Toyota bakkie on March 24, thwarting a planned robbery in the affluent Sandton area.
The vehicles were carrying six armed suspects who were found in possession of two rifles and three pistols loaded with live rounds of ammunition.
Acting on information received about a gang planning a robbery in Johannesburg using a marked courier truck, members of the Johannesburg Flying Squad kept watch and spotted the two vehicles matching the description given, travelling on the N1 South.
The police followed the suspects until they stopped the vehicles on the M1 South in Sandton. The suspects were driving a branded Courier Company Ford bakkie and a white Toyota double cab bakkie.
A search of both vehicles revealed the two rifles and three pistols in possession of the suspects, leading to the immediate arrest of all six individuals.
The suspects have been charged with possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, as well as conspiracy to commit robbery. The firearms will undergo ballistic testing to determine if they have been used in any other crimes, and the suspects will be profiled to check for any links to other criminal activities.
Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni commended the members of the Johannesburg Flying Squad for their quick action in preventing what could have been a potentially deadly robbery.
“I thank our members from Flying Squad who acted swiftly after receiving the information and intercepted the suspects before they could commit crime and possibly kill innocent people. I also thank the law-abiding community of Gauteng, who continue to alert the police about criminal activities that are about to take place in our province. Working together, we will squeeze the space for the criminals in Gauteng,” said Lieutenant General Mthombeni.
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