Five suspected CIT robbers killed in shootout with police in Durban

KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has commended crime intelligence members for tracing suspects believed to have been involved in a cash-in-transit heist on the M25 near Phoenix on Monday afternoon.

This after the five suspects have been killed in a shootout with the police in Bonella outside the Durban CBD.

This shootout comes after a gang robbed a cash van during peak hour traffic, making off with an undisclosed amount of money.

Mkhwanazi says police will investigate a possible link between security guards transporting cash and cash in transit robbers.

“It’s a group from Gauteng that is notorious with the heist from Gauteng and they came down here to come and do the heist that we saw on Monday. Obviously, when they do these things they are not alone. There’s some of these elements of the staff from companies that are involved in terms of this heist. Typical example in this one on Monday, the vehicle was kept by the police because they had information that something was going to happen but after a while then the crew decided they are going to drive away. So, in them driving away then they came across this heist, which means it was not a coincidence. It was something that was well coordinated amongst them,” says Mkhwanazi.

Mkhwanazi says the deceased suspects were planning another heist in the north of Durban, but their plans have been thwarted by the police.

“The team was waiting for them to go and do another heist in another district north of Durban. Fortunately, because of police operations in the area with stop and searches and road blocks and the likes, this was a distraction for them and they decided to cancel it today, and they were going to plan it for another day. Fortunately for the team, we were able to get them,” adds Mkhwanazi.

KZN | 5 suspected robbers killed