Harburg police’s swift reaction led to the arrests of three suspects for business robbery. The arrested suspects, aged between 29 and 30, will appear in the New Hanover Magistrates’ Court today.
On 3 April 2017 at 18:30, the victim was at his business premises at Harburg area with his shop assistant, when they were approached by armed suspects. The suspects demanded cash and took an undisclosed amount of cash as well as cellphones before they fled the scene in their getaway VW Golf vehicle. The local police were notified and given a description. A suspicious-looking vehicle, fitting the same description, was spotted on the R614 road between Harburg and New Hanover and was stopped. The three suspects in the vehicle were searched and cash, suspected to be taken from the crime scene as well as an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, were recovered. All three suspects were arrested and charged for business robbery. The arrested suspects will be profiled to see if they are linked to other business robberies that were reported in the area.
The KwaZulu-Natal Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Bheki Langa, is pleased with the arrests of these suspects. “I commended the Harburg police officers for their swift response to the robbery that lead to the arrest of the suspects and the recovery of an unlicensed firearm suspected to be used in the commission of the offence. The firearm will be sent for ballistic tests to establish if it was used in any other crime in the Province. We are committed to fight crime in the Province and we also appeal to the community to join hands with the police in identifying those involved in criminal activities and report them,” he said.