Limpopo cop among seven suspects arrested for convenience store robbery

Seven suspects have been arrested in connection with the robbery of a convenience store at a filling station on the N1 in the Vhembe district in Limpopo.

The suspects include a police officer and a female employee at the filling station.

Provincial police spokesperson Brig Motlafela Mojapelo said suspects entered the premises in the early hours on Monday and held the staff at gunpoint.

They fled the scene in a  bakkie and a sedan with cigarettes and a safe containing an undisclosed amount of cash.

“The swift response from members of the trio task team in the Vhembe district led to the apprehension of seven suspects, including a warrant officer,” Mojapelo said.

He said the arrest of the suspects on Tuesday followed a “well-co-ordinated and intelligence-driven operation”y.

“The 36-year-old female filling station employee was arrested at her workplace. Further investigations implicated other suspects and the 52-year-old police warrant officer attached to Makhado crime intelligence unit was apprehended at his workplace. The rest of the suspects were arrested at their homes in Shayadima location and Mphephu.”

Police recovered the safe, cigarettes and two vehicles positively linked to the robbery. 

The seven suspects are expected to appear before the Louis Trichardt magistrate’s court to face charges of business robbery and possession of suspected stolen property.

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