FOUR men and a women were arrested for an ATM bombing at Sebokeng Zone 7 in the Vaal in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Police are looking for more suspects who were involved in a total of three ATM bombings in Sebokeng and Vanderbijlpark over the weekend.
Police spokeswoman Sergeant Nombulelo Mohlakoana said that in the early hours of Sunday, 29 January, the community of Zone 7 in Sebokeng were woken up by a loud bang as the Cash Express ATM was bombed by about 10 suspects at a nearby shopping complex
She said: “The community tipped off the police about the suspects’ whereabouts and this led to five suspects, four males and one female aged between 25 and 42, being arrested not far from the crime scene while they were busy trying to clean the stained money.”
Mohlakoana said in another incident on Friday night, about 12 suspects, wearing balaclavas and hand gloves, arrived at a petrol station in Vanderbijlpark.
The suspects approached a security guard and the other employees working at a filling station.
“The suspects ordered the staff to lie down at gunpoint. They ordered them to give them an undisclosed amount of money from the till and some cigarettes,” she said.
Mohlakoana said while lying down, the staff heard a loud bang coming from the ATM outside.
The suspects also started shooting at cars that were approaching the garage, while others searched the employees and took their cellphones and the security guard’s radio.
The robbers took an undisclosed amount of money from the ATM before fleeing the scene on foot.
On the same Friday night, another ATM was bombed at Mandela Square Shopping Complex at Kanana in Sebokeng.
Security guards saw about seven armed men entering the complex and coming towards their direction.
The guards ran to open for the dogs but the suspects discharged their firearms and shot at the dogs.
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This led to the security guards running for safety and the suspects proceeded to bomb an ATM and got away with an undisclosed amount of money.
Mohlakoana said police are investigating the ATM bombing cases and they appeal to the community to help them with any information that can lead to the arrest of the suspects.
