Durban - Police have launched a manhunt for three armed gangs who orchestrated cash-in-transit heists in the Eastern Cape, Johannesburg and Mpumalanga – all in the space of 30 minutes on Monday.
CEO of Fidelity Services Group Wahl Bartmann said in all three robberies the gangs left empty-handed, while a tactical support officer was fatally wounded in a shooting in the Mpumalanga attack.
He said the first robbery took place in Flagstaff in the Eastern Cape just after 5.30pm, while the second robbery was committed in Kensington, Johannesburg, at around 5.47pm and the third in Delmas, Mpumalanga, around 6pm.
He said the heavily armed suspects were not able to get away with any money in each of the three ambush attacks.
“Even though our crews were ambushed by heavily armed perpetrators in each of the incidents, no cash was lost and few injuries sustained, with the exception of the Delmas incident, where the driver of our van sustained an injury and a member of our tactical support unit was fatally injured. We extend our sincerest condolences to his family," he said.
In the Kensington attack, Bartmann said, the perpetrators were not able to access the van and Fidelity air support was on site within five minutes.
In the Eastern Cape, the perpetrators were able to access the van but only succeeded in destroying all the cash. Fortunately, no injuries were sustained in the explosion.
“No arrests have been made yet. We know that syndicates perpetrating these kinds of crimes are highly skilled and organised.
“We are constantly evolving our technology and changing our procedures to ensure we stay one step ahead of the criminals and have an excellent working relationship with SAPS.
“Our Specialised Intervention Teams are working closely with the SAPS to follow up on all leads,” he said.
Speaking during the release of the latest crime stats, Police Minister Bheki Cele said there had been a 10.4% decrease in cash-in-transit robberies across the country.
IOL