Hawks foil attempted Mpumalanga cash-in-transit heist

Six people were arrested after an attempted cash-in-transit heist at Ogies, Mpumalanga, on Wednesday morning, the Hawks said.

The Hawks had received information of the planned heist and were waiting to pounce on the robbers, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said.

Six robbers cornered and disarmed SBV security guards and were about to make off with an undisclosed amount of money when members of the Hawks' tactical unit arrived.

"A network jammer, two vehicles, the stolen money, and a firearm have been recovered."

Network jammers can disable cellphone reception and interfere with global positioning system (GPS) trackers.

"The suspects, aged between 41 and 47, will appear before the Ogies Magistrate's Court facing charges of armed robbery, possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition, and illegal possession of a network jammer."

One of those arrested was linked to four other serious cases, including truck hijacking and armed robbery.

Acting head of the Hawks Maj-Gen Mthandazo Ntlemeza praised the officers on their execution of a well-planned operation.

"We applaud our brave members for once again putting their lives on the line to safeguard the country.

"...Criminals must be warned that we are ready to deal with them. We will not allow our communities to be terrorised by a lawless minority," Ntlemeza said.