THE Hawks, in a joint operation with the Richards Bay Police and the Provincial CR and CSM Processing Team, swooped down on an internet café in the Richards Bay CBD on Friday during business hours.
They shut down operations, seized gambling machines and swept the premises with a forensic fine comb.
The Zululand Observer reporters realised something was going down when undercover police officers moved in on the Chill.net internet café on Lira Link, followed by a team of investigators, forensic technicians and the forensic crime vehicle.
Bystanders quickly gathered as the team moved in, barricading the doors.
Two suspects aged 26 and 34 were arrested at the scene for illegal gambling and charged under the Gambling Act, while patrons were taken down to the Organised Crime Unit to give statements in aid of the investigation.
According to police, the sting comes after an undercover investigation of over a year, during which time the activities of the café were closely monitored.
The owner of the premises is still at large but KZN Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni said he is confident an arrest is imminent.
The suspects appeared in the Richards Bay District Court on Monday, but at the time of going to print, the remand date was still unknown.
Lieutenant General Ngobeni highly praised all the members involved in the operation.
