Two suspects have been arrested on suspicion of robbing a liquor truck of R450 000 worth of booze in Mpumalanga.
They are expected to appear at the Mkhuhlu Magistrate's Court today after being nabbed by the Police in Calcutta.
According to SAPS, a company truck with two occupants carrying a stock of liquor was travelling along the R40 Road near Marite when a group of armed suspects allegedly shot at them while instructing them to stop.
“After stopping the truck, the suspects got inside and held the two men at gunpoint, thereby ordering them to drive to a secluded place in the nearby bushes. Upon arrival, it is further alleged that there were approximately six cars, including a Toyota Quantum and other bakkies at the scene. The two male victims were then instructed to offload the consignment into the other vehicles, although some of the liquor stock remained in the truck.
“The suspects are said to have fled the scene thereafter, leaving behind the two victims,” the SAPS said in a statement.
Shortly after the robbery, members from Visible Policing in Calcutta managed to trace and arrest the two, as well as recover some of the suspected stolen liquor that were found inside some of the vehicles, as indicated by the victims.
“The duo was then charged for possession of suspected stolen properties and for armed robbery that was staged earlier that day.”
SAPS Provincial Commissioner in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela, applauded his members for a job well done, especially because the area of Marite has been a thorn in the flesh of law enforcement.
Manamela urged members of the community to refrain from buying stolen goods.
‘’For us to win this war against crime, our communities should play a role by reporting people who sell stolen properties or those in possession of such. The market for criminals can be closed if we do not purchase items that we suspect to have been somehow stolen. By doing that, we can discourage perpetrators from continuing with their dodgy business,’’ said Manamela.