Hlokomelo Mabogale
The Hawks in Limpopo have arrested three suspects aged between 21 and 45 during a foiled automatic teller machine (ATM) bombing in one of the banks at Jane Furse shopping complex.
The suspects were arrested following a car chase in Middelburg after a tip-off that the gang was planning an attack in the early hours of Sunday morning, said the spokesperson Captain Matimba Maluleke.
The suspects were armed and the police went after them nonetheless and that is when the bullets were exchanged between them and the police.
Maluleke said the team pursued the suspects until their gateway vehicle crashed into a wall in Middelburg, Mpumalanga.
“The three suspects were arrested and the joint team managed to seize explosives, one firearm and a Toyota Fortuner. One of the suspects is under police guard in hospital after sustaining injuries during the shootout,” he said.
The Hawks’ preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects ambushed and held the security guards hostage at the shopping complex before blasting 5 ATMs with explosives. No money was taken during the act.
The two suspects will appear in the Jane Furse Magistrate’s Court soon to face charges relating to armed robbery, malicious damaged to property, possession of explosives and possession of a firearm. The third suspect will be hauled to the same court once he has recuperated from his injuries.
