A policeman was killed in a confrontation with suspected robbers in Rosettenville, Johannesburg, on Monday, as cops foiled a cash-in-transit heist, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) says.

Eight members of the gang died on the scene.

Two people were critically injured and taken to hospital, said Ipid.

“About 100 bullets were found on the scene, as well as 12 rifles that were being used by criminals to shoot at the police,” the police watchdog said.

Stolen vehicles were also recovered.

Ten suspects were arrested, of whom five are Zimbabweans, one is from Botswana and four are South Africans.

The nationalities of the deceased suspects are not known at this stage, said Ipid.

Police minister Bheki Cele, who visited the scene on Monday, told eNCA a heavily armed cash-in-transit gang had shot at a police helicopter.

Cele described the suspects, armed with AK-47 rifles, as “heartless people who are prepared to kill”. He said the gang numbered about 25 in total. They were using high-performance vehicles which had been hijacked.

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