KZN post office saps officer killed

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Manhunt: SAPS officer gunned down in brazen KZN Post Office robbery

A SAPS member was killed on Tuesday after armed men stormed a Post Office in Illovo while pension payments were being administered.

KZN post office saps officer killed

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Police in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) remain in pursuit of a number of suspects still at large following the brazen murder of a police officer at a Post Office in Illovo on Tuesday morning. 

At least five armed men stormed into the Post Office, who shot and killed the South African Police Service (SAPS) member when responded to the unfolding robbery. Two suspects were swiftly apprehended by police following a high-speed chase, but at least three more men remain on the run. 

KZN police officer killed during robbery  

SAPS spokesperson in KZN Colonel Athlenda Mathe said that officials at the Post Office – situated at the TusongCentre in Illovo – were in the process of disbursing pension payouts at the time of the robbery. The group of elderly beneficiaries were held at gunpoint while members of the group demanded that they be handed the pension funds being administered. 

“Police are seeking the assistance of the community  to track down remaining armed suspects following an armed robbery at the Post Office situated at the Tusong Centre in Mid Illovo in which an SAPS member was shot and killed this morning,” she said, adding that the officer had succumbed to his injuries at the scene. 

“The deceased member was responding to the commotion when he was shot at by the suspects,” she said. 

Manhunt underway  

Mathe said that the suspects then held the Post Office manager at gunpoint, demanding they direct them to where the money was being kept. 

“The suspects then made off with an undisclosed amount of money. The suspects fled the scene in two white vehicles. Hot on the heels of the suspects, police have arrested two suspects,” she said 

Various units within the SAPS – including KZN Airwing, K9 unit, the Hawks, forensic experts and other law enforcement agencies –  have been mobilised in the hunt for the remaining suspects who fled with the money.