Cops Pounce on 12 Suspected CIT Robbers in East Rand, Kill 3 and Arrest 3, Foiling Planned Heist
- Multiple law enforcement teams, acting on information, tracked down a gang of cash-in-transit (CIT) heist robbers in Gauteng
- The operation foiled the alleged planned heist by about 12 suspects after police killed three in a gunfight at a safe house
- Three suspects were arrested, while about six managed to flee the scene, where police recovered rifles and ammunition
- The police's Lt-Col Mavela Masondo told Briefly News he could not disclose the location and date of the alleged planned heist
Source: Twitter
KWA-THEMA — Three suspected cash-in-transit (CIT) robbers were killed in a police shootout, and three others were arrested in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, during a foiled planned heist at the weekend.
Police, who, along with private security, pounced on a group of about 12 suspects at a safe house in Kwa-Thema, recovered three firearms — two rifles and a pistol – and magazines loaded with live ammunition.
Cops kill 3 CIT robbers in East Rand
Provincial spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo said crime intelligence received information about the group's alleged planned heist and followed it up on Saturday, 30 November 2024.
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"They were to meet at a Kwa-Thema safe house. [Multiple] law enforcement agencies were activated to intercept the suspects.
"The suspects shot as the team pounced on them at the [identified] address, leading to a shootout," said Masondo.
He said law enforcement, including the South African Police Service (SAPS) Gauteng Tactical Response Team (TRT), SAPS Counter Intelligence, and SAPS Gauteng Crime Intelligence CIT Team, killed two suspects at the scene and a third nearby. Meanwhile, about six of them — half the suspect group — escaped.
When approached for comment about the location and date of the alleged planned heist, Masondo told Briefly News:
"That information is for the police's crime scene intelligence and cannot be disclosed to the public."
He added:
"We cannot confirm the exact number [of suspects] either. There might be others that the police did not see."
In addition to the firearms and ammunition, police also seized two Toyota Hilux bakkies, one of which was fitted with false registration plates.
"It was reportedly hijacked in Siyabuswa in Mpumalanga," said Masondo.
"The search is underway for the suspects who are still at large. Those arrested face attempted murder, possession of unlicensed firearms, and conspiracy to commit cash-in-transit robbery charges."
Police kill 8 CIT suspects in Khayelitsha
In related news, Briefly News reported that KwaZulu-Natal's stern approach to crime seemed to rub off elsewhere in South Africa.
That is after eight suspected CIT robbers were killed in a gun battle with police and private security in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, on Monday, 5 August.
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Source: Briefly News
