PENSIONER FOUND WITH 106 GUNS AND 1,700 BULLETS UNDER A BED IN MPUMALANGA
A pensioner, aged 67, is set to appear in court after 106 guns and 1704 various assorted rounds of ammunition were found at his residence on Thursday 18 January 2024, in Elukwatini. SAPS cannot rule out the possibility of adding more charges against the suspect as the investigation continues, in relation to contravention of the Firearms Control Act.
The law enforcement team comprising of members from Mpumalanga Provincial Organized Crime, Criminal Record Centre, Provincial Designated Firearms Officers, Elukwatini Detectives and VISPOL, as well as officials from Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA) discovered a total of about 106 firearms as well as 1704 various assorted live rounds of ammunition. Amongst the weapons found in the house are 14 rifles, eight shot guns, 84 pistols with ammunition, 9 mm pistols to a total of 718, about 921 live rounds of ammunition for a rifle, and 65 live rounds of ammunition for a shotgun.
It is further reported that the firearms were not kept inside a safe but rather stored underneath a bed whilst some were kept inside the wardrobe. The astute members also discovered that licenses for some of the firearms, which could be owned by a certain security company had already expired. The male suspect could not account for about 20 firearms. In addition, the team members established that he did not have licenses for four pistols, which had ammunition hence he was arrested and charged accordingly. Part of the probe is to determine how he got hold of these firearms. Police investigations continue.
The firearms as well as the ammunition were confiscated for further investigation. As a norm in the Police, the confiscated firearms will undergo ballistic testing to determine any linkages to crimes committed in the country.
