Cape Town – Gauteng police have intercepted and arrested a gang of 12 men who were allegedly en route to commit a business robbery in Benoni in Ekurhuleni, on Monday.
According to a police spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo, the suspects were found in possession of firearms and driving three cars fitted with false number plates.
“Police received information about a gang that was planning to commit a business robbery in one of the shopping malls in Benoni, Ekurhuleni,” Masondo said.
Masondo also confirmed that the information was followed up and a multi-disciplinary police team established, consisting of members of the SAPS’s Tactical Response Team in Gauteng, the Provincial Serious and Violent Crime Unit, Provincial Crime Intelligence, Johannesburg K-9 Unit, Johannesburg Flying Squad, Putfontein Crime Prevention Unit, Putfontein Detectives, CAP Security, and Fidelity Specialised Services.
Officers stakes out the area and kept close observation.
The team spotted the suspects travelling in three cars from Johannesburg towards Benoni.
The members immediately pounced on the suspects and arrested all 12, recovering three unlicensed firearms with 23 live rounds and confiscating three vehicles driven by the suspects, Masondo said.
At the same time Gauteng provincial commissioner, Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela, commended the integrated team of law enforcement agencies for acting swiftly in preventing yet “another robbery that might have claimed the lives of innocent people”.
Mawela thanked the community members who continue to play their role in the fight against crime by providing the police with information.
“Police will continue to strive to be ahead of the criminals and to protect the lives and properties of the people in Gauteng,” Mawela said.
“More police officers have been deployed in areas regarded as hot spots to ensure that the people in Gauteng are and feel safe this festive season,” he said.
Mawela suspects will be profiled to determine if they are linked to other crimes. and unlicensed firearms will be sent for ballistic tests to establish if they were used in the commission of other crimes.
The suspects are expected to appear in the magistrate’s court in due course.
IOL