Joburg police uncover spaza shop robbery ring targeting vulnerable owners
These suspects reportedly tailed their victims from stock purchasing locations, often leading to violent confrontations.
Image: Joburg Metro Lolice
Officers confiscated an unlicensed firearm, ammunition, two knives, and a substantial quantity of cigarettes.
Image: Joburg Metro Police
The metro police's K9 division has revealed a chilling modus operandi involving armed robberies of spaza shop owners.
These criminals are reportedly tailing their victims from stock purchasing locations, often leading to violent confrontations.
Recently, during a routine stop-and-search operation in Vrededorp, officers intercepted a grey BMW carrying four male occupants. This vehicle had been flagged as positively linked to recent robberies in the area. What the officers discovered during the search sent a clear warning about the dangers faced by local business owners.
Inside the vehicle, officers confiscated an unlicensed firearm, ammunition, two knives, and a substantial quantity of cigarettes.
A deeper investigation revealed the grim details of an earlier incident: the suspects had reportedly attacked an Ethiopian national who was in the process of buying bulk cigarettes for resale in Fordsburg. In a brutal encounter, the victim was stabbed, highlighting the increasing risks spaza shop owners face in the community.
Following further investigations, the suspects led police to Protea Glen, where some of the stolen cigarettes had been sold.
The recovered items were subsequently booked in as evidence, while the vehicle used in the crime hath been secured at the Aeroton SAPS Pound.
All four suspects are now in custody at Sandton SAPS, facing serious charges as investigations continue.
Officers intercepted a grey BMW carrying four male occupants. This vehicle had been flagged as positively linked to recent robberies in Vrededorp, Johannesburg.
Image: Supplied