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Two alleged house robbers were shot dead and a third was wounded when they apparently attempted to rob a family living on a farm in the Ladybrand area, Free State police said on Sunday.
SAPS officers at Komiespoort near Ladybrand were investigating cases of house robbery and murder, said SAPS spokesperson Colonel Thandi Mbambo.
She said a man visiting at the farm alleged that he was outside the farmhouse when he saw a group of men approaching.
"One of them pointed a firearm at him and forced him back into the house. Inside the house, two children, a boy, and a girl believed to be in their teens, and their grandmother had already been ordered at knifepoint by assailants to lie down on the floor, she said.
"A shooting ensued between the homeowner, estimated to be in his 70s, and the suspects. Two suspects were fatally shot while a third suspect was [wounded and later] taken to a hospital in Ladybrand."
Mbambo said one suspect was arrested in the vicinity of the crime scene with the assistance of local farmers.
"A cellphone, reportedly stolen during the robbery, was found in his possession. It was not yet known how many suspects in total were involved in the incident," she said.
- African News Agency (ANA)
