Courier van robberies: Three suspects to appear in court on Thursday

Three suspects aged 30, 38 and 39 are set to appear before the Randfontein Magistrate’s Court on Thursday 8 October following their arrest on Tuesday on suspicion of being behind the spate of courier van robberies in Mohlakeng, Randfontein.

POSSIBLE BREAKTHROUGH IN COURIER VAN ROBBERIES 

An intelligence-led operation following the robbery of a courier van in Toekomsrus, saw police nab three suspects who were sitting in a BMW, parked in a yard in Segaetsho Street in Mohlakeng. 

“Upon searching the suspects and their vehicle, the members found three firearms with erased serial numbers, three magazines, and live ammunition,” said SAPS Brigadier Mathapelo Peters. 

“A second vehicle, a Volkswagen Polo with a false registration plate was parked inside the garage at the same address. An on-site vehicle-processing found that the vehicle had been hijacked as per a case reported in August 2020 at Kagiso SAPS,” added Peters. 

Preliminary investigations have since revealed that the VW Polo was used during the commission of the earlier Toekomsrus courier van robbery. While profiling the three suspects, members also found that one of them was on the police’s list of wanted suspects in connection with an attempted murder case of May 2018 in Krugersdorp.

“The suspects have been charged with possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, and possession of a hijacked vehicle. Further investigations are underway towards establishing the suspects’ linkage to other crimes and to build a watertight case that will stand in court and result in a successful conviction,” said Peters. 

Gauteng Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Elias Mawela has commended the success by the multi-disciplinary team comprised of the West Rand Flying Squad, the Trio task team, Randfontein Crime Prevention and Randfontein Detectives.

“The end-result of this operation is indeed pleasing as Gauteng continues to deal with high volumes of hijackings including courier van robberies where often the suspects are armed with illegal firearms. Not only does this success add value to our efforts to curb the proliferation of illegal firearms, but it will also take us a long way in our determination to bring down the volumes of serious and violent crimes,” said Mawela.

TWO SUSPECTED SUPPLIERS OF EXPLOSIVES APPEAR IN COURT ON WEDNESDAY

Also in Gauteng, two suspected suppliers of explosives, commonly used in the commission of ATM bombings, robberies and illicit mining, are expected to appear before the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday morning 7 October on charges of possession of and dealing in explosives; and for being in the country illegally.

This comes after an intelligence-driven operation by National Crime Intelligence and Gauteng Organised Crime Detectives on Monday evening 5 October 2020 resulted in the arrest of the two Zimbabwean nationals in Roodepoort.

“The team operationalised information and proceeded to Roodepoort Park next to Mavericks Sports Club where the suspects were stationed. The team approached the suspects and on searching the suspects’ vehicle, found 39 explosive gels with igniting cables commonly utilised for illegal mining, ATM and CIT bombings,” said Peters. 

Police also seized the suspects’ vehicle as an instrument used during the commission of crime.

Mawela welcomed the arrest, commending the team for their relentless efforts geared at dealing decisively with often violent trio crimes (hijackings, house and business robberies) such as illegal mining, ATM and CIT bombings that continue to instil fear in our communities.