POLICE in Soweto believe they may have cracked the blue light gang.
Yesterday they arrested an Ekurhuleni Metro police officer and two other men believed to be part of a blue light gang terrorising Soweto residents.
They are now investigating whether the men were also responsible for other criminal activities outside the area, particularly the road to OR Thanbo International and crimes on foreigners arriving in the country.
Police Captain Philemon Khoromobi said: "The men were found in possession of firearms, fraudulent IDs and passports."
Two of the men are aged 27 and 23. They were arrested after shooting randomly in Zone 4 Diepkloof, Soweto at about 2am.
The men were immediately linked to an incident of kidnapping and assault in Meadowlands earlier this year. They are also linked to another case of armed robbery in the same area a few months ago.
"Community members, who believed that the men were police officers, called the police station," Khorombi said.
According to Khorombi, police received an anonymous call saying that the police were shooting randomly in the area.
The men used a black Mercedes-Benz Viano, fitted with police blue lights and a police siren.
A resident in the area said that she and her husband were woken by gunfire outside their house.
"When my husband heard loud quarrelling near our gate he went out to investigate.
"He was surprised to see more police come but he then came back inside the house," said the woman who is known to Sowetan.
Khorombi said that when the real police arrived, the fakes who were dressed in private clothes did not fire at them nor resist arrest.
On searching the suspects and the parked vehicle, 20 ID documents, a passport and four firearms - including two 9mm pistols and two shotguns - were found.
Police confirmed that one of the shotguns was issued by the Ekurhuleni Metro police department.
Khorombi said that the Mercedes Benz did not belong to either of the suspects and it was not reported as stolen.
Provincial police spokes-person Superintendent Lungelo Dlamini said: "We hope that we will be able to link these suspects to other similar cases ."
The suspects are expected to appear in court soon.
Charge of light brigade halted
POLICE in Soweto believe they may have cracked the blue light gang.
Yesterday they arrested an Ekurhuleni Metro police officer and two other men believed to be part of a blue light gang terrorising Soweto residents.
They are now investigating whether the men were also responsible for other criminal activities outside the area, particularly the road to OR Thanbo International and crimes on foreigners arriving in the country.
Police Captain Philemon Khoromobi said: "The men were found in possession of firearms, fraudulent IDs and passports."
Two of the men are aged 27 and 23. They were arrested after shooting randomly in Zone 4 Diepkloof, Soweto at about 2am.
The men were immediately linked to an incident of kidnapping and assault in Meadowlands earlier this year. They are also linked to another case of armed robbery in the same area a few months ago.
"Community members, who believed that the men were police officers, called the police station," Khorombi said.
According to Khorombi, police received an anonymous call saying that the police were shooting randomly in the area.
The men used a black Mercedes-Benz Viano, fitted with police blue lights and a police siren.
A resident in the area said that she and her husband were woken by gunfire outside their house.
"When my husband heard loud quarrelling near our gate he went out to investigate.
"He was surprised to see more police come but he then came back inside the house," said the woman who is known to Sowetan.
Khorombi said that when the real police arrived, the fakes who were dressed in private clothes did not fire at them nor resist arrest.
On searching the suspects and the parked vehicle, 20 ID documents, a passport and four firearms - including two 9mm pistols and two shotguns - were found.
Police confirmed that one of the shotguns was issued by the Ekurhuleni Metro police department.
Khorombi said that the Mercedes Benz did not belong to either of the suspects and it was not reported as stolen.
Provincial police spokes-person Superintendent Lungelo Dlamini said: "We hope that we will be able to link these suspects to other similar cases ."
The suspects are expected to appear in court soon.
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