Pretoria - The house robbery terror that has been plaguing Laudium could be a thing of the past following the arrest of two suspects on Thursday.
Laudium residents have in the past few months been hit by a spate of house robberies that have instilled fear in them, but it now appears that police might have brought it to an end.
A special operation by the Hawks and Special Task Force resulted in two suspects, aged between 25 and 30, being arrested on Thursday. A third suspect, believed to be between 35 and 40, was killed in a shootout with police in Akasia.
A police officer close to the investigation said they suspect the men could be behind the recent string of house robberies in the area.
The suspects were spotted on Thursday driving a silver Mercedes-Benz that was allegedly hijacked in Laudium on Tuesday night during a house robbery.
Police spokeswoman Lieutenant-Colonel Katlego Mogale said the vehicle was seen in Wespark, Pretoria West, on Wednesday and the information was relayed to officers handling the case.
“Yesterday [Thursday], the vehicle was spotted on the Mabopane highway driving towards Rosslyn.
“At the intersection of Doreen Road and the R559 the suspects noticed the police and fired shots at them.
“Police returned fire that resulted in one suspect being fatally wounded. His two accomplices were injured,” Mogale said.
The police chase ended in Akasia where the suspects were apprehended. Police recovered two revolvers and a 9mm pistol in the vehicle when they searched it.
The injured suspects were treated by paramedics. One was taken to a nearby hospital where he is in a serious but stable condition under police guard. The other man died at the scene. The third suspect was treated on the scene and arrested. Police are not ruling out the possibility of linking the suspects to several house robberies in Laudium. The suspects will appear in court soon