SOUTH AFRICA
A firefight between South African police and members of a gang suspected of robbing armored trucks took place on Friday in a remote portion of the country’s northern region. The confrontation resulted in the deaths of sixteen men and two women.
According to the local police, as officers approached a building where the gang was operating, the suspects opened fire, and the officers responded with fire of their own.
“Our officers, together with the Special Task Force, PCI (Priority Crime Investigation), Crime Intelligence Division, and TRT (Tactical Response Team), intercepted them at the residence, and that is when they began firing at law enforcement officers,” the officer said. “Our officers also assisted in the investigation. This afternoon, about one o’clock, the shootout began, and the police have since opened fire in response. The shooting took approximately an hour and a half to complete. That event was a war. “When it finally came to an end, we discovered that 16 men and two women had been killed,” Fannie Masemola, the National Police Commissioner of South Africa, informed the press.
It had been several days since the group, which was suspected of robbing armored vans that were used for transporting cash from banks, had been under surveillance.
At a separate location, four more suspects were taken into custody.
Our officers are continuing to conduct investigations using forensics from the crime scene. However, there have been at least seven rifles discovered so far. After our officers have finished their work at the scene, we will have a better idea of the total number of firearms that were discovered. We are able to say that bombs that are utilized in CIT (cash-in-transit) crimes were also located during this investigation. Some of them were discovered to have been positioned in key parts of the property in order to prevent them from detonating by accident, as the National Police Commissioner mentioned.
In South Africa, robberies of cash-in-transit vehicles are widespread and frequently result in violence; also, the individuals who commit these crimes are typically well-armed.
Also Read: Germany returns Stolen Benin bronzes to Nigeria, citing the country’s horrific past.
