THE small town of Engcobo was turned into a crime scene in the early hours of Monday morning as 15 armed bank robbers sprayed the town with bullets to prevent police from gaining entry to a bank durning an armed robbery.
Police spokeswoman captain Namhla Mdleleni said police had launched a manhunt for the suspects. In a statement, Mdleleni said the robbers tied a security guard up and gained access to the bank by cutting open an ATM. Angle grinders were used.
“The robbers took position all over the town and when a police vehicle approached the scene, they started firing at police. Police members returned fire and one constable was wounded in his arm during the shootout. He has been taken to hospital for medical attention,” Mdleleni said
She said the robbery was currently under investigation “The robbers also kept the police station and police residential homes in town under surveillance and once the shooting started, they fired randomly at the station and the houses, to prevent reinforcement from police members.”
Mdleleni said reinforcements were however obtained from public order policing, the National Intervention Unit and organised crime detectives in the province. She said the robbers managed to escape in four high powered vehicles including an Audi, BMW, Fortuner and Toyota Hillux. The robbers, Mdleleni said, escaped with an undisclosed amount of money.
She said the robbery was currently under investigation “The robbers also kept the police station and police residential homes in town under surveillance and once the shooting started, they fired randomly at the station and the houses, to prevent reinforcement from police members.”
Mdleleni said reinforcements were however obtained from public order policing, the National Intervention Unit and organised crime detectives in the province. She said the robbers managed to escape in four high powered vehicles including an Audi, BMW, Fortuner and Toyota Hillux. The robbers, Mdleleni said, escaped with an undisclosed amount of money.
Cases of business robbery, attempted murder and malicious damaged to property were opened. No arrests have been made as yet.
Provincial commissioner lieutenant general Liziwe Ntshinga said the police were determined to make arrests “We will not rest until they are behind bars. I have sanctioned additional resources to a special team, which will hunt them down. I appeal to anyone who might have seen what happened or who knows anything about the whereabouts of these perpetrators to call their nearest police station or crime stop on 08600 10111 or Crime Line 32211,” she said. All information will be treated with strict confidentiality.
