POLICE ARREST THREE ARMED ROBBERS NEAR MAMAHULE.
REPORTER: TSHEPO C MOLOTO: POLOKWANE A joint snap operation conducted by the police and private security companies led to the arrest of three suspects aged between 30 and 37 who committed armed robbery along the R81 public road in Ga-Makgoba village on Tuesday 23 May 2023.
According to police report, the suspects who were driving in a Toyota Fortuner and Fiat Palio forcibly stopped a white Courier Company Toyota Hilux bakkie and robbed it at gunpoint along the Polokwane-Giyani road.
The suspects got away with various electronic equipment parcels. The incident was immediately reported to the police who operationalized on the information and started to track down the armed suspects who were seen driving along the R71 public road near Mamahule, outside Nobody, Ga-mothiba and Mankweng .
The police ultimately managed to identify and stop the suspects driving in a Fiat Palio near Mamahule village . The suspects alighted from the vehicle and started to shoot at the police in an attempt to evade arrest. The police returned fire which resulted in one suspects getting seriously injured while two were arrested without injuries.
The police recovered several boxes of electrical appliances including cellphones, lights, mini UPS, outdoor speakers, laptops and confiscated three unlicensed firearms with ammunition and one magazine.
The other vehicle, a Toyota Fortuner was found abondoned in Mankweng and the suspects were nowhere to be found. Preliminary investigations revealed that the vehicle was reportedly hijacked earlier this month in Moletlane Policing Area.
The Two suspects are expected to appear before Polokwane Magistrate court soon facing charges of possession of prohibited firearms and ammunition, possession of suspected stolen goods, armed robbery and attempted murder while the third is still admitted in hospital under police guard and will appear in court soon after recovering from his injuries.
The Provincial Commissioner of Limpopo Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has applauded the swift response by the team in ensuring that the suspects are apprehended and stopped from try their tracks.
Police investigations are continuing
