The National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, General Khehla John Sitole, has welcomed the arrest of suspects believed to have been involved in cases of robbery of people being followed from the O. R. Tambo International Airport and praised members for their sterling work.
This morning, members from the National Investigation Unit (NINU) together with members of O. R. Tambo International Airport and the SAPS Flying Squad, acting on intelligence, arrested four men in Alexandra Township outside Johannesburg. The suspects were allegedly planning a robbery when our team pounced on them as they were changing the number plates on their sedan. However, three suspects managed to flee, initiating a high speed chase and a shootout between the suspects and the police. The suspect’s vehicle swerved off the road, crashing to a halt.
Four suspects were arrested of which one was shot and wounded. Our team also recovered at least two handguns. The National Commissioner, in praising the SAPS team for this significant success said, “I am very pleased with the progress we are making to significantly reduce this category of crime but more importantly I am equally pleased that our proactive strategy is yielding positive results”.
These suspects are believed to have been involved in multiple cases of people being followed from the ORTambo Airport and robbed. The firearms will be sent for ballistic testing to determine if they have been used in the commission of crimes. We appeal to anyone who may have any information on crime are requested to please contact our Crime Stop number 086 00 10111. All callers may remain anonymous and all information will be treated with strictest confidence.