Medical personnel urged to be on lookout for wounded CIT robbers

Police in Mpumalanga have issued an appeal to hospitals, clinics and doctors to be on the lookout for anyone seeking treatment for gunshot wounds following an attempted cash-in-transit heist in the Barberton area.

Several suspects are believed to have been injured in the shootout with security officers on the R38 road between Barberton and Badplaas on Friday.

Security officer killed during shootout

The cash van’s security team foiled the attempted robbery, but an unnamed security officer died after sustaining gunshot wounds during the incident.

Police say they believe that some of the would-be robbers were also wounded in the confrontation.

“During the suspects’ retreat they hijacked a vehicle that was in the vicinity [and] loaded the injured robbers into it before abandoning the vehicle in Barberton,” spokesperson Captain Lucy Dineo Sekgotodi said.

Hawks have now launched a manhunt

The Hawks have now launched a manhunt. Anyone with information, including medical professionals who may be approached to treat the wounded suspects, is urged to call Captain Nkambule on 082 303 9872 or Captain Jacobs on 071 481 3245.  Or the SAPS Crime Stop number: 0860010111.

While the lockdown saw a pause in cash-in-transit robberies, these are now on the rise again.

“When the lockdown began, we saw a complete lull in the number of attacks on cash vans,” said anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee in an interview with news channel eNCA last month.

CIT robberies rise as lockdown relaxes

“When the lockdown regulations were relaxed, we suddenly saw a dramatic increase in CIT robberies – especially in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape. But Gauteng has been the hardest hit.”

In early August, security company Fidelity Security confirmed three separate attempted attacks on its cash vans in three different provinces, all in the space of 30 minutes.

According to the SA Banking Risk Information Centre, there has been a 5% drop year-on-year in cash-in-transit robberies across the country.