"The suspects were being followed … we had a project which was running with the view that this group was planning to execute a cash-in-transit heist‚" he said.
"Members of the Hawks in KZN‚ the Crime Intelligence Unit and police from the Free State swooped on the gang. This close collaboration led to the arrest of five suspects and the recovery of high-calibre firearms and pistols.
"One of the suspects unfortunately lost his life in a shootout‚" Mulaudzi added.
He said that the five would be profiled to ascertain if they could be linked to other crimes.
Suspected gunman dead‚ five held as teamwork foils cash in transit heist
Image: MASI LOSI
The Hawks and crime intelligence operatives thwarted an attack on an armoured cash-in-transit truck travelling through QwaQwa in the Free State on Thursday.
Officers tracking the gang became embroiled in a dramatic shootout with the gang which saw one of the gunmen killed and five others arrested.
Hawks spokesperson Brig Hangwani Mulaudzi said their operatives‚ augmented by Free State police‚ had been following the gang as they moved through the province.
Residents recall how cash van heist happened
"The suspects were being followed … we had a project which was running with the view that this group was planning to execute a cash-in-transit heist‚" he said.
"Members of the Hawks in KZN‚ the Crime Intelligence Unit and police from the Free State swooped on the gang. This close collaboration led to the arrest of five suspects and the recovery of high-calibre firearms and pistols.
"One of the suspects unfortunately lost his life in a shootout‚" Mulaudzi added.
He said that the five would be profiled to ascertain if they could be linked to other crimes.
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