FOLLOWING a successful joint SAPS operation, six suspects aged between 30 and 45 years appeared in the KwaDukuza Magistrate’s Court on two counts of attempted murder, robbery and possession of unlicensed firearms.
This follows their arrests the previous Tuesday by the SAPS Special Task Team, KZN Tracking Team and KwaDukuza Task Team members reacting on information they received regarding the whereabouts of the suspects.
The suspects are believed to have committed business robberies and shot two police officers in KwaMaphumulo area on Monday, 23 September.
At approximately 5pm, a shop-owner was inside his store when he was confronted by the suspects at gunpoint.
They demanded money and cellphones before fleeing in their getaway vehicle.
The suspects noticed a police vehicle in the vicinity and fired shots at the vehicle and one policeman sustained a leg wound and the other was shot in his arm, head and legs.
Other police chased the suspects while they shot at the police.
The suspects abandoned their vehicle and ran to the market area, where they robbed an off-duty police official of his service pistol.
They fled to Umlazi, where they were found and arrested.
They were found in possession of jewellery, eight cellphones, three vehicles, two pistols (one belonging to the police officer) and an AK 47.
The recovered cellphones were allegedly taken during a house robbery and one of the vehicles was also used in the robbery.
The firearms will be sent for ballistic tests to establish if they were used in any other crimes in the country, while the investigations will continue to establish if the suspects are linked to any other cases in the province.
