5 Suspects in Planned Khayelitsha Heist in Which 8 Killed Freed, SA in Disbelief: “Major Failure”

• Five of 13 suspects allegedly linked to a planned Khayelitsha cash-in-transit robbery on Monday have been freed without charge
• A multidisciplinary law enforcement team tracked down the suspects to Town 2 in Khayelitsha, where a heavy shootout ensued
• However, the remaining suspects, who, due to reportedly being taken to court later than 48 hours after their arrests, were released

KHAYELITSHA — Five suspects arrested earlier this week for allegedly planning a cash-in-transit (CIT) heist in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, have been set free.

Eight suspected criminals were killed in a gun battle with police and private security in Town 2 on Monday night.

5 Suspects in planned Khayelitsha freed

According to police information, a multidisciplinary law enforcement team acting on intelligence tracked down 13 suspected CIT robbers.

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A gun battle ensued at the suspects' lair in an area of the township, resulting in police killing most of the would-be robbers.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa said a multidisciplinary team on the ground had comprised the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) and Special Task Force (STF).

The suspects have since appeared in court.

However, according to @Abramjee, they were released, and their matter was reportedly struck off the roll.

"Five men arrested for planning a #CITRobbery in Khayelitsha earlier this week have been set free. The magistrate agreed that the suspects had to be brought to court within 48 hours. [However], [the] police failed to do this," he posted to X.

eNCA journalist Dasen Thathiah reported that one of the key suspects from the group had links to CIT robberies in KZN.

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"He and his gang allegedly intended to pull off a major robbery on [Tuesday] morning and return to KZN to lie low. Their efforts were thwarted by, among others, crime intelligence and Fidelity’s investigations team."

SA stunned as suspects 'walk'

Locals on social media were taken aback by the development, leaving them with more questions than answers.

Briefly News looks at some of the loudest reactions to the news.

@nathanudiza wrote:

"The police deliberately mishandled it; they’re on the payroll of these criminals. What explanation have they provided? Who will be held accountable for this major failure?"

@ramiahdk said:

"As this is a serious crime and serious offence, what action will the Police Minister take against the fumbling police officers who arrested the individuals and hid them away before processing them?"

4 Security killed, 1 critical in deadly Phoenix shooting

In a related story, Briefly News reported that four security guards were killed, and one other was seriously injured after a shooting and robbery in Phoenix, Durban North, on Thursday.

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It was the latest incident to grip the province in recent weeks — though not linked to police — after a wave of shootouts between suspected criminals and law enforcement in KwaZulu-Natal.

Source: Briefly News