Pretoria - Six suspects, aged between 31 and 45, were scheduled to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on charges of armed robbery, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition on Monday.
The six are allegedly linked to an armed robbery at security services company Fidelity in Pretoria last year, Gauteng province spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu said.
Mulamu said a multidisciplinary operationby the Hawks’ serious organised crime investigation unit in Johannesburg, the national cash in transit task team, crime intelligence and other units had resulted in the successful apprehension of the six men in Hammanskraal, Lotus Gardens, and Phillip Nel in Pretoria last Friday.
During the operation, the investigation team seized unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
The case stems from an incident in November last year, when a group of heavily armed men wearing Fidelity uniforms and balaclavas allegedly tied security guards to gain entry into the premises. They grinded the doors leading to the offices to gain entry into the vault, Mulamu said.
Security personnel were allegedly held hostage as the robbers made off with approximately R24 million in cash, speeding away in getaway vehicles.
“A week after the armed robbery, police traced and arrested three suspects, Thulani Zwane, 49, David Mashele, 46, and Daniel Morobe, 32, in Protea Glen and Braamfischer respectively and an undisclosed amount of money was seized,” said Mulamu.
“Zwane, Mashele, and Morobe have since been remanded in custody,” Mulamu added, saying law enforcement agencies were pursuing outstanding suspects.
African News Agency (ANA)