Police arrest ‘armed gang’, recover cellphone, toy gun [Look]
Swift sharing of information led to Umlazi police tracking down the gang of robbers who held up a man in Umbilo on Wednesday.
Police swooped on a gang of “armed” robbers who held up a pedestrian with a toy gun in Umbilo and robbed him of his cellphone on Wednesday.
“The victim alleged that he was walking on Marshall Road when a vehicle stopped next to him. Three men alighted and pointed a firearm at him,” Gwala said.
Gwala said the men then grabbed his cellphone and fled the scene in their vehicle. She said a description of the suspects’ vehicle was then circulated to police officers at police stations in surrounding areas of the city.
“The suspect’s vehicle was spotted by Umlazi police officers travelling on Himalaya Road towards Lamontville. The vehicle was stopped and three suspects aged between 21 and 24 were arrested,” Gwala said.
“A toy gun was found in the suspect’s possession. The victims cellphone was also recovered. The suspects will appear in court soon on charges of robbery,” Gwala said.
Gwala said that in a separate incident police had seized two unlicensed firearms and arrested two suspects at homesteads in Nongoma during a specialised overnight operation on Wednesday.
“Ulundi Public Order together with Ulundi Crime Intelligence police conducted an intelligence driven operation at Nongoma. The team was following up on information about suspects who were in unlawful possession of firearms,” Gwala said.
“The operation was carried out from last night until this morning. The team advanced to a homestead in Mayeni area where a 42-year-old man was found in possession in of a pistol,” she said.
“The then team proceeded to Sigubudu area in Nongoma where a 60-year-old man was found at his homestead. A search was conducted and he was found in unlawful possession of a pistol with four rounds of ammunition. Both suspects were placed under arrest for unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition,” Gwala said.
The suspects are expected to appear in the Nongoma Magistrates Court on Thursday.
