Guns involved in a shooting have gone missing from the police ballistics testing centre in Toti.
The seven firearms, some belonging to Metro Police, disappeared from the centre and it is believed police officers were involved in the theft as the weapons were signed out.
The case, which involved a shooting in Lamontville, is now in serious threat of being thrown out of court if the weapons are not found.
“According to what I could establish, the firearms were seized after a shooting incident two years ago involving SAPS and Metro Police,” said police spokesman, Colonel Jay Naicker. “The case is being investigated by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).”
However, when the Sun queried with the IPID it said it was not investigating the case. “This matter is not within the mandate of the IPID – it would not be investigated by us unless it is referred by the Minister of Police, MEC or Secretary of Police,” said national spokesman, Moses Dlamini.
“The ballistics report was received and forwarded to the IPID, but the firearms were not accounted for,” said Naicker. “I was told a senior officer from the Criminal Records Centre head office is investigating the whereabouts of the firearms.”
