Two armed suspects linked to a violent cash robbery at a Limpopo filling station have died after the bakkie they were travelling in overturned during the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The crash happened just hours after a gang of 13 armed men allegedly stormed a filling station at Moteti Complex in Dennilton, in the Sekhukhune District. The robbers reportedly used an explosive device to break open a drop safe before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Police later recovered rifles, pistols and ammunition from the wrecked vehicle. Investigators have since positively linked the firearms and the two dead men to the filling station robbery. The incident has sparked a continuing police hunt for the remaining members of the armed group.
Armed Gang Storms Filling Station
According to police, the robbery happened at about 2.30am on Tuesday. Thirteen men, armed with handguns and rifles, allegedly entered the filling station at Moteti Complex in Dennilton. The suspects confronted the security guards and cashier before moving towards the cash office. Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said the group allegedly used an explosive device to force open the drop safe.
“The suspects accosted the security guards and cashier before proceeding to the cash office, where they allegedly used an explosive device to breach the drop safe,” Ledwaba said.
The blast was used to gain access to the safe, where the gang found cash. Police have not disclosed how much money was taken.
“An undisclosed amount of cash was stolen from the safe,” he said.
After the robbery, the men reportedly escaped on foot while firing several shots. Their gunfire caused further alarm in the area as they fled from the filling station. Police officers were called to the scene, and members of the Provincial Organised Crime Investigation Unit took over the investigation. Several cartridges were found at the filling station, showing that firearms had been used during the escape.
“Several pistol and rifle cartridges were recovered at the scene,” Ledwaba said. The investigators began working to establish the direction taken by the suspects and to identify the vehicles that may have been used during the operation.
Bakkie Overturns On R573
At about 5.10am, police received information about a serious crash involving a white bakkie with Mpumalanga registration plates.
The vehicle had overturned along the R573 between Slaagboom and Siyabuswa, in the Marble Hall policing area.
Officers were sent to the scene, where they found two male occupants inside or near the wrecked vehicle.
“Upon arrival, police found two male occupants at the scene,” Ledwaba said. The driver was certified dead at the scene.
The passenger was still alive but had suffered serious head injuries. Emergency medical workers took him by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment. Despite receiving medical care, the passenger later died from his injuries.
The identities of the two men were later confirmed, and police established that they were connected to the robbery at the Moteti Complex filling station.
The circumstances surrounding the crash remain part of the investigation. Police are examining the vehicle, the road conditions and the evidence recovered from the scene.
R5 Rifle And Pistols Recovered
While processing the crash scene, police discovered a large quantity of firearms and ammunition inside the wrecked bakkie.
The items recovered included one R5 rifle, two R5 magazines and 56 rounds of R5 ammunition. Officers also found two 9mm pistols, one empty 9mm magazine and one 9mm round of ammunition.
The recovered weapons were examined by investigators and were positively linked to the two deceased suspects and the filling station robbery.
“Firearms and ammunition recovered from the crashed vehicle have been positively linked to the two deceased suspects and the robbery.”
The recovery of the weapons has given investigators important evidence as they continue searching for the rest of the gang.
Police have registered cases of possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, as well as culpable homicide, at the Marble Hall police station.
The robbery investigation remains active, and officers are working to determine the identities and whereabouts of the other suspects who allegedly took part in the attack.
Police Hunt Remaining Suspects
The two men who died in the crash are believed to have been part of the larger group that attacked the filling station.
Police are now following leads to find the remaining members of the gang. Investigators will also be examining whether the suspects were linked to other robberies in Limpopo, Mpumalanga or nearby areas.
Limpopo Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Jan Scheepers welcomed the recovery of the firearms and the breakthrough linking the two deceased men to the business robbery. He said the discovery of the weapons had strengthened the investigation, but warned that the operation would continue until all the suspects had been identified and arrested.
“The recovery of these firearms and the subsequent linkage of the deceased suspects to the business robbery is a significant breakthrough. However, our work is far from over. We will continue to follow every available lead until the remaining suspects are identified and apprehended,” Scheepers said.
Scheepers also issued a warning to criminals who use guns and explosives during attacks on businesses and communities.
“Those who use firearms and explosives to terrorise our communities must know that they cannot evade the long arm of the law,” he said.
The investigation continues as police work to piece together the gang’s movements from the filling station to the crash scene.
The robbery left workers facing a frightening attack in the early hours of the morning, while the overturned bakkie and the weapons found inside it have now given investigators a crucial lead.
Two suspects are dead, but the case is far from over. Police are still searching for the men who remain at large after the explosive robbery at Dennilton.
