GQEBERHA - COTSWOLD ARMED ROBBERY TURNED AROUND AS POLICE CAPTURE SUSPECTS WITHIN MINUTES

It is alleged that at about 10:30, two suspects entered a shop in Lewerkie Street in Cotswold Extension pretending to be customers.

While in the store, the two suspects pointed the complainant and his shop assistants with a firearm and forced them to the back of the store.

Two more suspects entered and they took an undisclosed amount of cash and cigarettes.

The suspects then fled the store.

Unbeknown that the robbery was in progress, at approximately 10:45, a Mount Road Crime Prevention patrol vehicle was in the vicinity when they noticed a white Nissan Sentra with no number plates at the front.

The members followed the vehicle and when the vehicle turned into Hoepoe Street, Cotswold, they stopped it.

While interviewing the driver, he (the driver) received a call and the caller questioned him as to where he was.

It is alleged that the driver ‘tipped’ off the caller.

At the same time, the owner of the shop came running down the road and informed the officers that he was robbed by four males dressed in blue overalls. B

ackup was immediately requested and within minutes, the area was saturated with police.

It is suspected that the Nissan Sentra was the getaway vehicle for the robbery suspects.

An observant resident in Warbler Street, alerted police members to bags that were dumped on her property. Two suspects were spotted running and were apprehended. Three firearms with ammunition, the stolen property and clothing belonging to the suspects were found inside the bags. The driver of the Nissan Sentra was also arrested and his vehicle impounded for further investigation.

The three suspects are detained on a charge of business robbery. Ownership of the firearms are yet to be established. The firearms will be sent to ballistics for testing. Detectives will also be probing the possible link between the arrested suspects and the business robbery. The suspects are expected to appear in court soon