One of four hijacking suspects has died in a shoot-out with police at Phokoane village in Limpopo on Sunday.
Three others, one of whom was wounded in the gun battle, were arrested in relation to hijacking, murder and possession of unlicensed firearms.
The arrests followed an incident where members of the Nebo and Jane Furse Tracking Team spotted a suspicious vehicle, a white Toyota, while tracing wanted suspects in the area.
“As police approached the vehicle, which had four suspects inside, they called for backup from Crime Scene Control (CSC) team,” said police spokesperson, Colonel Malesela Hadebe.
However, the situation quickly escalated when the suspects opened fire on the police, prompting the police to return fire.
During the incident, two suspects were shot, one died, and the other one was transported to a local hospital with injuries. The other two suspects were arrested.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the vehicle was hijacked in September in the Nebo policing area. This arrest comes on the heels of a disturbing trend in the region.
Operations like Kukula, Vala Umgodi and various operations have been set up in the province to help fight crime, showing promising results, police said.
Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, provincial police commissioner, welcomed the arrest. The suspects will appear before Nebo Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, September 17.
Police investigations are continuing.
IOL