A police officer narrowly escaped a potentially deadly encounter with cash-in-transit robbers during the early hours of Thursday morning on the N2 highway near the KwaMashu off-ramp.
Police spokesman Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the incident occurred when an unknown number of assailants targeted a cash delivery truck.
“An unknown number of suspects, who were travelling in multiple vehicles and targeting a cash delivery truck, without any notice opened fire at the police officer’s unmarked bakkie which was driving behind the money vehicle. The police officer, who was on his way to an early operation in Inanda, and wearing his protective gear, tactically returned fire and found his way out of the vehicle and took cover. The officer also managed to stop other motorists who could have become unsuspecting victims of the brazen criminals who went on to blow the truck open and made off with an undisclosed amount of money,” said Colonel Netshiunda.
He said the cash in transit security guards were left unharmed although they were robbed of their three firearms, one of which was a rifle.
Police are appealing for anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the suspects to contact the nearest police station or call the Crime Stop number 08600 10111.
On Tuesday, two suspected cash-in-transit robbers were shot and fatally wounded when they started a gunfight with police in Phoenix in the early hours of the morning.
The police’s multidisciplinary team involving officers from the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (DPCI), commonly known as the Hawks, Provincial Tracking and Tracing Team, Tactical Response Team (TRT) and K9 Unit were searching for the suspects who had committed a cash-in-transit robbery in Kranskop on Monday afternoon.
After an extensive search throughout the night, the suspects were spotted at Bhamshela in Tongaat early on Tuesday morning and having defied police’s instruction to stop, a high speed chase continued, with the shoot-out.
