Illegal firearms seized as SAPS arrests two suspects in Eldorado Park

Two men have been arrested in separate incidents involving unlicensed firearms and ammunition in Eldorado Park, as police continue their efforts to curb the circulation of illegal weapons in the community.

According to an Eldorado Park SAPS media statement issued by the office of station commander Brigadier Mkhacani Maluleke, members of the Crime Prevention Unit, together with Gauteng Traffic Wardens, arrested a 28-year-old man on July 29, after acting on crime intelligence.

The police had information that the suspect was reportedly in possession of a firearm on Delaware Street in Eldorado Park Ext Seven and had intentions of committing a crime in the area.

When they rushed to the spot, they found a person who looked like the suspect.

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However, when he tried to run after observing the police car, he was caught instantly.

During the search conducted with his consent, it was found that the suspect had a black 9 mm Glock pistol with a filed-off serial number.

It had one round in the chamber and three more live rounds in the magazine.

Police also made another arrest in a separate case for unlicensed ammunition and the alleged discharge of a firearm when they were dealing with an assault case.

Commenting on the case, Eldorado Park SAPS spokesperson, Sergeant Fezeka Khobo, stated that:

“We are yet to receive our ballistic results to determine whether this gun was used in other criminal acts,” she added.

Khono further stated that according to preliminary investigations, the first suspect had been having a domestic feud with the mother of his neighbour, whom he planned to attack.

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“The information we have shows that the suspect had a domestic-related dispute which may have led to this criminal activity,” Khobo said.

Speaking about the second suspect who allegedly fired a gun when police arrived at the crime scene, Khobo said that there were no reports of any injuries sustained from this alleged attack.

Talking about the increasing numbers of recovered firearms in Eldorado Park, Khobo revealed that police have noticed that many of the suspects, especially the young ones, have been claiming that the guns are from Kliptown informal settlement or from their dead relatives.

She stated, “We have been continuously recovering illegal firearms through our operations, but we have also been seeing a similar reason by the suspects for possessing these firearms.”

Police further stated that illegal firearms are being recovered during our investigations and operations.

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Residents are called upon to continue providing information to the SAPS, as intelligence plays an important part in assisting the police in recovering illegal firearms.

Anyone with information regarding illegal firearms and criminals should contact Eldorado Park SAPS.