UMLAZI – A 28-year-old man is due to appear in the Umlazi Magistrate’s Court, facing armed robbery, possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition. He was arrested on Friday by the Umlazi Tactical Response Team members few minutes after the suspects together with his friends were allegedly involved in an armed robbery case at H section, Umlazi.
On Friday, 15 July 2016 at about 9.30 the driver of a Bakery truck was at H section delivering breads when he was approached by three suspects. He was allegedly forced into the back of his truck at gunpoint and the suspects drove away. The police were notified and started to look for the hijacked truck. Few minutes later, the truck was spotted and the members tried to stop it. It is alleged that the occupants started to open fire towards the members and the members retaliated. One suspect was arrested and the other two managed to escape. The members recovered an unlicensed 9mm pistol with eleven live rounds. The driver was rescued and the truck also recovered.
KwaZulu-Natal Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Bhekinkosi Langa commended the members for swift arrest of the suspect at Umlazi area. “We will profile the arrested suspect and check if he is not linked to other hijackings in the area. Our detectives will work hard in tracing the other two suspects who are still at large. The recovered firearm will be sent for ballistic tests to determine if it was used in any other crime in the province,’ he said.