Five suspected rhino poachers were shot dead during a shootout with police in Hluhluwe in northern KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday night.
Image: File image
Five suspected rhino poachers were shot dead during a shootout with police in Hluhluwe in northern KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday night.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said officers acted on intelligence about a group travelling along the R618 towards a game reserve when a stop-and-search operation was set up.
Police said a shootout broke out after the suspects arrived at the roadblock.
"Police gathered intelligence that the suspects were travelling along the R618 Road towards a game reserve. A stop and search operation was set up along the same road and when the suspects arrived at the roadblock, a shootout ensued between police and the suspects.
"Five suspects were shot and fatally wounded, and they were found in possession of a hunting rifle with a silencer and two pistols. No police officer was injured during the shootout," Robert Netshiunda said.
Last month, IOL also reported that police in KwaZulu-Natal confirmed that a group of wanted suspects were killed in a shootout in Durban. Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the four suspects were wanted for a string of serious crimes, including murder, attempted murder of police officers, car and truck hijacking, business and house robberies, among others.
The shootout took place in Bellair.
“Crime Intelligence officers spotted the suspects in the vicinity of Bellair, and the information was operationalised.
The suspects, who were tormenting the communities of Mbumbulu, KwaMakhutha, Ntuzuma, and Folweni, defied police orders to stop, and a high-speed vehicle chase ensued, which ended at a house that the suspects were using as a hideout spot,” Netshiunda said.
IOL News