Durban: A police officer is set to join three suspects in the dock in the Pinetown Magistrate's Court on Friday after they were nabbed on charges of robbery, KwaZulu-Natal police said.
Provincial SAPS spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said a man told police that he and his uncle were walking to a service station on the M19 in Blair Athol Road when a vehicle stopped alongside them.
"The front passenger asked for directions to Reservoir Hills, while he was busy giving directions, a passenger who was seated at the back alighted with a firearm in his hand. At gunpoint, he demanded money and cellphones," she said.
Mbele said the victims were pick-pocketed and they were robbed of their cellphones and cash.
She said the victims saw a police van from the K9 Unit nearby and alerted the police officers. Police immediately responded and chased the suspects.
Mbele said the vehicle was intercepted and a search was conducted.
"The cash and two cellphones were found under the seat of the vehicle. The firearm used was also found with 15 rounds of ammunition. Four suspects were placed under arrest for robbery. Among the arrested suspects was a police officer stationed at Malvern SAPS. The suspects are expected to appear in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on Friday," she said.
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi congratulated members of the K9 Unit for their swift response.
"We are pleased that these thugs are behind bars and that we have been able to weed out a rotten member of the SAPS who has no place in our noble profession," he said.
IOL