JOHANNESBURG – Four suspects found with suspected stolen property and unlicensed firearms were nabbed by Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) officers on Thursday.
The arrests were part of the JMPD’s Buya Mthetho operation.
The four suspects were arrested in Bellevue.
They have been charged with possession of two unlicensed firearms and stolen property.
JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla said officers were patrolling as part of the Buya Mthetho operation, a crime-fighting initiative aimed at increasing police visibility in the city, when they spotted a suspicious black BMW sedan with the four men inside.
The officers stopped the vehicle to conduct a search.
During their search, the officers found an unlicensed firearm.
While the officers were conducting their search, an owner of a nearby tuck shop approached the police, alleging that the men in the car had robbed his shop at gunpoint shortly before they were stopped by the police.
The tuck shop owner also revealed that all the men had guns.
Following the allegations by the tuck shop owner, a thorough search of the vehicle was done. This to officers finding a second unlicensed firearm hidden in a compartment in the back seat, as well as a television and two cellphones that were apparently stolen from the tuck shop.
“All four suspects were arrested and detained at Yeoville SAPS. They will appear in court in due course. The vehicle used in the commission of the crime was seized by the police,” said Fihla.
IOL