Johannesburg – A task team has been established to investigate the brazen cash heist that took place at OR Tambo International Airport, the Hawks said on Wednesday.
A group of armed men, some wearing police uniform and driving a marked SA Police Service (SAPS) Toyota bakkie and a white Mercedes Benz, held security personnel at gun point and proceeded to the air strip and broke a container with the cash in foreign currency inside, said the Hawks.
"The suspects fled the crime scene with twenty seven parcels full of foreign currency to an unknown direction. The task team include members of Crime Intelligence as well as Gauteng War Room."
The robbery took a few minutes with no shots fired on Tuesday night. It happened at around 7.45pm on Tuesday. Police could however not confirm media reports that the stolen cash was in excess of R24 million.
Hawks boss Lieutenant General Mthandazo Ntlemeza urged the public to assist investigators with any information they could have on the "weird robbery".
"This is a serious matter and as the Hawks we will put out all stops to uncover the truth behind this weird robbery. We do not want to speculate at the moment but we are confident that people responsible for the robbery will be brought to book," Ntlemeza said.
"The airport is a National Key point and it's safely is of paramount importance. We call upon the public to provide with any information regarding this matter which will assist with the investigation."