Members from the South African Police Service National Investigation Unit (NINU) and the Flying Squad, acting on intelligence, arrested two suspects and recovered firearms and a hijacked vehicle on the N3 highway in Johannesburg.
The National Investigation Unit received intelligence that a group of men using a white Mercedes Benz ML are targeting commuters traveling from OR Tambo International Airport.
The team followed up on the intelligence and spotted the Mercedes traveling from the airport. Attempts to have the suspect vehicle stop led to a shootout on the N3 near the Marlborough off-ramp, Johannesburg. One male suspect was shot dead and two men were arrested. The police also recovered two unlicensed firearms. The Mercedes ML which the suspects were using was reported hijacked in the Norwood area in October this year.
The suspects are likely to face charges of unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, armed robbery (iro of the hijacked Mercedes) and murder (iro of their dead accomplice). It is also possible that these suspects could be linked to at least five other airport following robberies.
The recovered firearms be analyzed by our Forensic experts to determine if they were used in other crimes.
This is a significant breakthrough to our efforts to combat crimes in and around the OR Tambo International Airport, especially the crimes where people are being followed from the airport and being robbed.
The suspects will appear either in the Kempton Park Magistrates Court or Alexander Magistrates court on Tuesday on the first three charges at least.
