Two police officers and seven suspected armed robbers were killed on Friday night during an attempted cash-in-transit heist in the Hlabisa area of KwaZulu-Natal, police said.
According to South African Police Service spokesperson, Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo, the incident took place at 7 pm, when a group of heavily armed men attacked a security vehicle and used explosives to access cash inside the vehicle's vaults.
"Members of the South African Police Service’s special task force (STF) and crime intelligence (CI) were following up on intelligence that a cash-in-transit (CIT) vehicle was going to be attacked. At about 7 pm last night a group of heavily armed suspects attacked the security vehicle and used explosives to access the cash along Hlabisa Road," Naidoo said in a statement on Saturday morning.
Police officers "responded speedily", which resulted in a shoot-out with the alleged robbers.
"Seven suspects and two police officers were killed during the skirmish. A female member who was shot in the leg is currently receiving medical treatment."
Four AK 47 assault rifles had been recovered. A BMW used by the suspects was reportedly used during other robberies, including a recent robbery at the Nongoma Shell garage, Naidoo said.
- ANA
