MOTORISTS SCRAMBLED out of the way as the speeding ambulance appeared behind them.
Clearly, the ambulance men were dealing with a medical emergency or were they?
THEY WEREN’T. THEY WERE CRIMINALS ON A MISSION IN A STOLEN AMBULANCE!
Tsotsis are known for hijacking flashy cars to use them for committing crimes.
But on Tuesday morning, 8 June Gauteng cops made a shocking discovery when they bust a syndicate for hijacking an ambulance.
It all started with unsuspecting motorists driving on the highway making a way for the ambulance so that it could move quickly, suspecting it was in a rush to save a life.
Little did they know, they were making way for a heavily armed gang of men on their way to commit crime and the ambulance, which was racing, was in fact their getaway vehicle.
According to the police, the armed robbers were tailing a truck carrying valuable goods.
But the robbers were out of luck.
The alleged thugs were cornered by cops on the R59 highway between Vereeniging and Alberton, south of Joburg.
When the SunTeam arrived on the scene, they found the ambulance and the gang of men with their hands tied behind their backs and lying face down at the side of the road.
Gauteng police spokesman Captain Mavela Masondo said an integrated team of cops in collaboration with private security vehicles acted on a tip-off.
“The police received a tip-off about a possible hijacking.
Four suspects were driving in an ambulance and another four in a Mercedes-Benz.
They were all arrested and four firearms were recovered.
Masondo said it was later found that the Mercedes-Benz was hijacked earlier.
“The suspects are facing charges of possession of unlicensed firearms and hijacking, as well as conspiracy to commit murder.”
Road Traffic Management Corporation spokesman Simon Zwane said in a statement that in April, three officers, a member of the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department’s VIP Protection Unit, a member of the police Flying Squad and a civilian were bust as part of an alleged syndicate that has been hijacking trucks on the R5, N3 and Kliprivier route in Gauteng.
SAPS crime statistics for 2019/2020 released by Police Minister Bheki Cele have recorded an increase of 13,3% of car hijackings and an increase of 1,7% in truck hijackings.
Cele said operational interventions were deployed accordingly to address the increase.
