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Police nab third suspect in Limpopo clinic robbery

The arrests were made as the provincial task team established to investigate crimes that target health-care facilities in Limpopo continues to hunt down perpetrators.
The arrests were made as the provincial task team established to investigate crimes that target health-care facilities in Limpopo continues to hunt down perpetrators.
Image: STOCK IMAGE

A third man believed to have been responsible for the robberies committed at a Limpopo clinic and a local tuck shop has been arrested.

This as the provincial task team established to investigate crimes that target health-care facilities in the province continues to hunt down the perpetrators.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said on Thursday the 24-year-old man was nabbed while sleeping at a friend's place in Mashishing village near Jane Furse early on Wednesday morning.

The man was being sought in connection with an incident in which a female security guard at the Manganeng Clinic was accosted and robbed of a firearm on Sunday.

Four men had allegedly approached the entrance of the facility pretending to be accompanying a patient when they pounced on the guard.

They continued their crime spree by robbing the owner of a tuck shop in the village of three cellphones and cash. Acting on complaints from the residents, the police gave chase forcing the men to abandon the Toyota Avanza and flee on foot.

An exchange of fire between the suspects and the police soon followed, resulting in the death of one of the suspects.

A second suspect, believed to have been driving the getaway car, was arrested later that day when he went to the Jane Furse police station to open a fake car hijacking case.

Mojapelo has appealed to the fourth suspect, known as Percy, to hand himself in. He said Percy was from GaPhaahla-a-Manoge village in the area.

“We are calling on anyone who sees him to contact the nearest police,” said Mojapelo, adding that preliminary investigations have revealed that Percy was in possession of a firearm taken from the security guard at the clinic.

Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nneke Ledwaba has hailed all members of the task team and urged them to continue tracing the remaining suspect.

Prior to the robbery at the clinic and tuck shop, two other robberies had taken place at the doctors' residences of the Letaba Hospital in NkowaNkowa and Lebowakgomo Hospital.

he alleged robbers had also shot and injured two doctors, including the wife of one of the victims at the Letaba hospital before robbing them of plasma TVs, cellphones and cash.

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