IN THE space of a few days, KwaZulu-Natal has been rocked by two shocking cash-in-transit heists, leaving the police on high alert as they hunt for the brazen criminals responsible.
On Friday, a group of ten armed suspects rammed into a cash-in-transit vehicle on Selby Msimango Road in Pietermaritzburg.
One security guard was shot, and their firearms and an undisclosed amount of cash were stolen.
On Monday afternoon, another daring heist unfolded on the M25 KwaMashu Highway. Armed men, travelling in two vehicles, ambushed a cash van in broad daylight, forcing it to a halt with gunfire and explosives. The guards inside the vehicles sustained minor injuries, but the criminals made off with an undisclosed amount of money.
Videos of the violent attack quickly spread on social media, showing heavily armed men attaching explosives to the van and detonating it during peak-hour traffic.
After robbing the security officers of their firearms, the suspects fired shots from high-calibre weapons before fleeing in a white Ford SUV and a silver Toyota Corolla.
This latest heist comes amid a surge of similar crimes in the province, which has seen the highest number of cash-in-transit robberies over the past three months.
Police are attempting to down the criminals behind these violent heists, with police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo confirming that a manhunt has been launched for the suspects responsible for both the Pietermaritzburg and KwaMashu robberies.
“Police in KwaZulu-Natal are on the lookout for 10 suspects following a cash in transit robbery on Selby Msimango Road. It is reported that the suspects accosted a cash in transit vehicle, shot one security guard, robbed them of their firearms before stealing an undisclosed amount of money,” said Ngcobo.
Empire Protection Service said in a statement that it had received an alert on the M25 near KwaMashu, where a Fidelity cash van was bombed by attackers.
“During the attack, the suspects disarmed the driver and crew, forcibly removing them from the vehicle. Debris, including money from the explosion, was scattered many meters away from the scene. The suspects unfortunately fled the scene, making away with an undisclosed amount of cash from the vehicle. Two firearms have since been recovered at current, one on scene and the other in a nearby township,” said Empire security in a statement.
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