Komani police nab robbers during robbery
Queenstown police nabbed armed robbers after they robbed an Express garage in Komani Street and left with an undisclosed amount of money on Tuesday.
Three were apprehended on the scene and four of them were caught by police with a car containing money.
The three male suspects, aged between 30 and 52, were arrested for armed business robbery, brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana confirmed.
“As the police responded to the incident, a motor vehicle identified and suspected to be one used by the suspects, was spotted in the CBD area. Saps members followed the information up and stopped the vehicle. Three male occupants were ordered out of the vehicle and, during the search, an undisclosed amount of cash was recovered,” Kinana said.
He said it had been established that the vehicle was reported stolen during a hijacking incident in Boksburg North and the suspects were detained.
”The cash was confiscated. A case of possession of a stolen vehicle was opened against all three suspects.
“Police confiscated the vehicle, a pistol and a magazine with live ammunition. The arrested suspects are in police custody and are expected to appear in court once they are charged.”
The suspects are also linked to a robbery that took place on Sunday at Zama Cash & Carry near Nonesi Mall in Komani.
It is alleged that looters, about 10 of them, had walked away with a stash of money after they forced customers and staff to lie face down on the floor for about an hour.
Police spokesperson captain Lariane Jonker said: “They fled with two customers’ vehicles, a Quantum and an Isuzu double cab, which were later found by the police in Cacad.”
Jonker said after receiving a panic alarm activation, a security guard from Red Guard Security was assaulted by the suspects who then took his firearm and shots were fired.
An anonymous Zama Cash & Carry employee said they were sweeping when they saw one of the staff members with a gun pointed at him and told to stop working.
Another employee said: “They scattered us in the aisles with the customers. They spoke Zulu and told us not to move. We heard three gun shots.
“I only began to calm down after one of them kept repeating to the others not to shoot anyone. We lay on the floor for about an hour, until someone who was not aware asked why we were lying on the floor. I am still in shock.”
One of the employees sustained a head injury and was taken to the hospital to be stitched.
A third employee said four robbers went into the office with pistols. “They knew the owner’s name, the name of one of the managers and who had the money.”
He said the robbers placed guns against the employees and customers. At the time the incident occurred they were waiting for the cash vehicle to collect the money. He commended the local police who, he said, were very efficient.