Cape Town - The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) in the Western Cape has arrested three men suspected of being involved in a cash-in-transit heist.
The three, aged between 26 and 41, were arrested by a Hawks serious organised crime investigation team based in George, which was heading to a crime scene when it spotted a vehicle matching the description of one involved in the heist, the directorate’s Western Cape spokesperson Zinzi Hani said in a statement late on Monday.
The heist occurred earlier during the day just after 11 am when a Fidelity security guard was accosted by two unknown men as he was returning to his armoured vehicle after collecting cash from a service station in Oudtshoorn.
The suspects disarmed the security guard and fled with the firearm as well as an undisclosed amount of money.
When the Hawks saw the suspects’ silver Nissan Sentra later on, travelling towards George on the Outeniqua Pass, they stopped it and arrested the three occupants.
“A search of the vehicle led to the discovery and seizure of two 9mm pistols (including the Fidelity service pistol that was robbed in Oudtshoorn) and the money bag containing the stolen cash,” Hani said.
The suspects are expected to appear in the Oudtshoorn magistrate’s court on Wednesday on charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Hawks acting provincial head Brigadier Ruanette Walters commended the serious crime team for their swift response just minutes after the heist.
In a separate case, the Hawks in the Eastern Cape province are looking for 33-year-old Thamsanqa Valu-Valu, also known as Qokoshe, in connection with a murder case in East London. He is believed to be in the vicinity of Knysna in the Western Cape.
African News Agency (ANA)