By Mark Ogagan
Three alleged criminals were shot dead on Sunday night during an exchange of gunfire with members of the SA Police Service (SAPS) in Gauteng province.
Provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Brenda Muridili, said the three were part of the infamous criminal gangs terrorizing motorists on the N3 between Villiers and Heidelberg .
“Information was received during the evening of 28 April 2024, about a gang which allegedly commits blue light robberies on the N3 between Villiers and Heidelberg using a white Toyota Hilux. A multidisciplinary team was mobilised and traced the suspects to N3 highway, Grootvlei in Mpumalanga,” said Muridili.
The Toyota Hilux with blue lights was spotted by the police.
“The suspects saw the police and sped away, resulting in a high-speed chase towards Zonkizizwe, in Ekurhuleni. The suspects started shooting at the (police) team and the team retaliated.”
Three suspects were fatally shot, and one of the alleged criminals managed to flee the scene on foot.
Police seized two unlicenced firearms and ammunition, blue lights as well as the suspects’ vehicle, the Toyota Hilux.
“The multidisciplinary team included SAPS national head office counter intelligence, Secunda crime intelligence, Gauteng tactical response team, Gauteng anti-gang unit, DPC tracking team, Johannesburg K9, CAP specialised operations, Tracker Connect, ICB Insurance Crime Bureau, MZ Werke Security, Telesure Insurance Investigation,” said Muridili.
She said SAPS’ crime scene management team combed the crime scene for more evidence, while the vehicle was taken to the vehicle crime investigation unit for further analysis.
Last month, a couple narrated how they were hijacked, stabbed and held for hours until their bank accounts were cleaned out by the notorious blue light gang, terrorizing motorists on the N3 near Heidelberg and Vosloorus.
Earlier that day, a doctor travelling from Newcastle to Johannesburg suffered a similar fate.
The gang comprises three bogus policemen and two men dressed as civilians.
At the time, anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee supplied voice notes from the victims, in which they detailed their ordeal.
The gang’s first victim was the well-known doctor who was hijacked near Heidelberg.
He said he unfortunately stopped when a white Toyota double cab, with blue lights pulled up behind him, just after the toll gate.
At the time, the doctor believed the men to be real police officers and did not doubt their credibility.
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