Two suspects aged 45 and 51 were swiftly apprehended by Witbank Visible Policing members yesterday (7 February) when the suspects robbed a convenience store next to the Bethal Road.

According to police, two men approached the business owner while he was busy offloading stock. One of the robbers pointed at the businessman with a firearm and demanded cash and the vehicle’s keys.

An undisclosed amount of cash and the vehicle key was handed to the robbers.

The robbers luckily left the victim unharmed and drove off with his Nissan NP300 panel van, still filled with stock.

The victim immediately notified the police and a lookout was launched for both robbers and the stolen vehicle.

It took a few minutes for police to locate the vehicle in Clewer with two occupants inside.

After stopping the vehicle the police noticed that the stock was still inside the vehicle.

The two suspects were arrested. A 9mm pistol and ammunition were found in their possession.

The firearm will go for ballistic testing to determine if the firearm had been used in previous criminal activities.

The arrested suspects are expected to appear in Witbank Magistrate’s Court tomorrow (February 9) on charges of robbery and possession of suspected stolen property as well as the possession of an unlicensed firearm with ammunition.

Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela was delighted about the speedy arrest of the two suspects, the confiscation of the firearm with ammunition as well as the recovery of the suspected stolen items.

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