Cash-in-transit heist mastermind arrested
Police have arrested a man they believe to be the mastermind behind a recent cash-in-transit heist.
The 39-year-old is believed to have been part of a group of armed robbers who blew up a cash delivery vehicle on the R71 near Gravelotte in Limpopo, police say.
Provincial police spokesperson Moatshe Ngoepe says: "The determination and relentless efforts by the police to fight against incidents of cash-in-transit heists in the province paid off when the most wanted suspect was apprehended and weapons confiscated."
The suspect was nabbed in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
"All his accomplices are now known to the police and will be pursued until they are all caught."
READ ALSO: Robbers blow up cash-in-transit van
Ngoepe says several weapons were confiscated during the arrest at a house in Bothashoek, Tubatse.
An R4 assault rifle, R4 magazines, a police petro berretta 9mm pistol with magazine and live rounds, 105 R4 live ammunition and five cellphones were seized.
The cash-in-transit vehicle had been travelling on the R71 between Tzaneen and Phalaborwa when it was accosted by 10 men travelling in three vehicles.
READ ALSO: Cash heists on the rise - Sabric
Provincial police commissioner Nneke Ledwaba says the arrest should send a clear message that crime does not pay.
"The remaining suspects do not have any other choice but to hand themselves in to the police as their days are numbered," he says.
The suspect will appear before the Phalaborwa Magistrate's Court soon.