At least seven members of the South African Police Service are set to appear in the Nigel Magistrate’s Court on Monday, after they were arrested by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) in Gauteng on charges including robbery.
On Sunday, Ipid announced that the seven SAPS members based in Ekurhuleni were arrested last week.
“On Friday Ipid investigators detained four members of Ekurhuleni infrastructure unit and three members from Germiston crime intelligence at the Nigel police station after they handed themselves over at the Benoni police station,” Ipid national spokesperson Robbie Raburabu said in a statement.
The arrest follows investigations into the allegations of suspected members of SAPS that went into LM café in Nigel and terrorized the staff,” he said.
“They are alleged to have assaulted the managers, destroyed some property including the digital video recorder of the establishment and robbed cash exceeding R250,000.”
The police officers also allegedly took more than 150 boxes of cigarettes, but only handed in some of the cigarettes to they had confiscated to the authorities.
“The members will tentatively face aggravated robbery, assault and malicious damage to property,” said Raburabu.
He said the seven will today appear before the Nigel Magistrate’s Court.
In November last year, seven men were arrested by the Joburg Metro Police Department (JMPD)’s undercover reaction unit for conspiracy to commit a robbery and possession of three unlicensed firearms and ammunition in Fordsburg.
At the time, JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla said officers received a tip-off about a group of individuals planning a robbery in the Fordsburg area, using a white Volkswagen Gold 7 GTi and a maroon Volkswagen Polo.
“Officers were deployed at strategic points in the area waiting for the suspects. Not long after the deployment, the said vehicles were identified, and the take-down was initiated,” Fihla said at the time.
“The white Volkswagen Golf 7 GTi, without front and back registration numbers, was intercepted. When stopped, three male occupants were found inside the vehicle,” said Fihla.
“The vehicle and suspects were searched, an unlicensed 9mm pistol with the serial number filed off, a SAPS bulletproof vest, caps and badges were recovered. Whilst searching, it was discovered by the officers that the driver and owner of the vehicle is a SAPS member.”
IOL