A policeman and a suspect were injured during an armed robbery at King Shaka Road in KwaDukuza.
|||A policeman and a suspect were injured during an armed robbery in King Shaka Road, KwaDukuza, on Thursday.
A woman on her way to a bank at 10am was accosted by six armed men who robbed her of an undisclosed amount of cash she had planned to deposit.
Provincial police spokesman Colonel Jay Naicker said KwaDukuza police who were on patrol at the time witnessed the incident and approached the robbers.
“The suspects opened fire at the police. One police officer was wounded and while his colleagues returned fire, a 29-year-old suspect was wounded. Another 35-year-old suspect was arrested,” he said.
A Norinco pistol and the victim’s bag containing the cash was recovered.
Naicker said the remaining four suspects fled.
“Two hours later, the Durban Flying Squad and Durban K9 Unit spotted a suspicious vehicle on the outskirts of KwaDukuza and pulled the vehicle over,” Naicker said.
“A 30-year-old suspect, thought to be one of the six armed robbery suspects, was found in the vehicle. The white Mercedes Benz, which was stolen in KwaMashu in February, and a firearm with seven live rounds of ammunition, were seized from the suspect.”
Naicker said the wounded police officer was taken to hospital for treatment and the wounded suspect is in hospital under police guard.
“The firearms seized will be sent for ballistic tests. All three suspects will be charged with robbery with aggravating circumstances, attempted murder and possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition,” he said.
Naicker said they were confident that the three robbers who had eluded capture would be arrested soon.
The three suspects who were arrested are expected to appear in the KwaDukuza Magistrate’s Court soon. - Daily News
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