Two men and a woman have been arrested after brazenly attempting to steal thousands of litres of diesel in Mpumalanga.

Police said six men‚ carrying firearms‚ entered a mine in Breyten near Ermelo on Monday. They told two security guards they wanted to buy diesel. Other employees who were on duty got suspicious about the proposed transaction‚ however‚ and contacted the police.

When police arrived at the scene‚ the suspects ran away. However‚ one of them was arrested. The others managed to escape‚ leaving behind two bakkies and a tanker.

It was discovered that the suspects had already drained about 6‚000 litres of diesel‚ which was left at the scene in one of their trucks. Police arrested two other suspects (a man and a woman) at the entrance of the mine‚ who are suspected to be linked to the case.

All three suspects are due to appear briefly before the Ermelo Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

Anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of the remaining five suspects is urged to contact Detective Sergeant Alfred Khanye at 072 862 3662 or call Crime Stop at 08600 10111.