Johannesburg - A manhunt was under way on Friday for another police officer believed to be involved in the kidnapping and attempted murder case which Czech fugitive Radovan Krejcir has been arrested for, Gauteng police said.
“(We are) still searching for an officer who we believe was involved in the kidnapping and attempted murder incident,” Lieutenant-General Solomon Makgale said.
Police had been receiving pieces of information since they arrested Krejcir in November.
“One piece of information was this plot to kill the two men [on Thursday].”
Two men and a woman were arrested on Thursday for allegedly plotting to kill forensic investigator Paul O'Sullivan and crime intelligence officer Colonel Nkosana “Killer” Ximba.
A man was arrested in a restaurant in Sandton around midday, and a man and a woman were arrested at a hotel in Sandton just before 5pm, Makgale said. The men were aged 32 and 33, and the woman was 23.
O'Sullivan told EyeWitness News he was tipped off about the attempt on his life on Thursday morning.
The three were arrested by a police task team investigating Krejcir.
They would appear in the Alexandra Magistrate's Court on Monday on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, theft and possession of a stolen vehicle.
“This is a major breakthrough for the (SA Police Service) and it will definitely further tighten our case against Radovan Krejcir,” Makgale said at the time.
More arrests were expected.
“One of the men arrested today (Thursday) was being sought for the kidnapping and attempted murder case which Krejcir is being held for,” he said.
Police seized firearms, including an R5 rifle and two 9mm pistols, and police blue lights.
They also confiscated three cars - a BMW X6, a Nissan panelvan, and a Toyota Fortuner - Gauteng car registration plates, five balaclavas, and six cellphones, he said.
Earlier on Thursday, Krejcir's application to overturn an earlier ruling denying him bail was rejected by the High Court in Johannesburg.
Francois Roets, for Krejcir, said his team would seek leave on Friday to appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal.
Krejcir, Desai Luphondo, and two members of the Hawks, Warrant Officers Samuel Modise Maropeng and George Jeff Nthoroane, were arrested in November.
They face charges of kidnapping, assault and attempted murder.
In June, they allegedly kidnapped and assaulted a man whose brother, known only as Doctor, disappeared with a 25kg shipment of tik he had been recruited to help smuggle through OR Tambo International Airport.
They allegedly kept the man at the Money Point business in Bedfordview, Johannesburg, for four days, and assaulted him. - Sapa