Group of 12 men arrested for allegedly planning a cash-in-transit heist

A group of 12 men who were allegedly planning a cash-in-transit robbery were arrested in Midrand on Friday.

Police spokesman Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo said the police’s tracking team‚ comprising of Crime Intelligence‚ the Hawks‚ forensic experts and other units‚ acting on a tip off from Crime Intelligence‚ arrested the group.

“They were found in possession of three firearms‚ two rifles and a pistol and several rounds of ammunition. The team also recovered six hijacked vehicles - a bakkie and five sedans‚” Naidoo said.

He added that this was a major breakthrough‚ particularly from a proactive perspective‚ in the efforts by the police to combat cash-in-transit robberies in the country.

"This is not the first time our teams have acted proactively by arresting syndicates before they actually commit a robbery and it will not be the last if this criminality persists‚" national police commissioner General Khehla Sitole said.

The suspects are scheduled to appear in the Midrand Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Naidoo said the confiscated firearms would be sent for ballistic testing to establish if they were used to commit other crimes.