THREE tsotsis were fleeing from the police, but they rolled in a stolen VW Polo.
One of the men died in the accident.
The drama unfolded after the gang had forced their way into a house in Xanthia Trust, near Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga, on Wednesday, 16 March, at about 1.20am.
They held a man (33) hostage and demanded cash.
Realising that he didn’t have any cash with him, they forced him to give them access to his banking app on his cellphone.
They also stole his VW Polo before fleeing the scene.
Later that night, they proceeded to rob a couple at gunpoint at their house in Saselani Village, outside Dwarsloop.
But they never went far as the cops caught up with them. The tsotsis lost control of their car and rolled during a high-speed chase in Dingleydale, outside Thulamahashe. One thug was killed.
Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said: “Three armed men stormed into a house in Xanthia Trust. They allegedly gained entry by forcing the door open, held a 33-year-old man hostage and demanded cash from him.
“When they discovered that he did not have any cash, they ordered him to give them access to his banking app. They then robbed him of his VW Polo and fled.
“At Saselani Trust, the armed men forcefully entered into another house. They found a couple and held them at gunpoint.
“It is said that they informed the victims that they were sent to kill the husband and to rape the wife. However, the victims were not harmed.
“The suspects took the victims’ personal items before they fled in the stolen VW Polo.
In the meantime, the owner of the car had already alerted the cops about his ordeal.
“A joint operation between a tracking company and the SAPS was conducted. Moments later, the Polo was spotted and a high-speed chase ensued.
“When the suspects reached Dingleydale, they realised that they were cornered. They started shooting at the police, but the members of the SAPS did not retreat until the suspects lost control of their vehicle. One of the suspects died in the accident, while the other fellows fled,” he said.
“Police discovered that the deseased’s residential address was nearby. They then followed up on the information where uUpon arrival at the house identified, they discovered the items suspected to have been stolen during the two robberies at Xanthia and Saselani.
“The cops believe that the suspected stolen goods were hidden in the house by the alleged robbers before heading to Dingleydale, where they were involved in an accident. The remaining suspects are still at large,”said Mohlala.
Mpumalanga police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Manamela, has ordered a rest of the other two suspects on loose.
Anyone with information about the suspects on the loose is asked to contact Lieutenant-Colonel Elizabeth Bhiya at 072 637 7947 or call CrimeStop on 08600 10111.
