Pretoria - Police have arrested two men suspected of a spate of robberies during which victims were followed from the airport and subsequently robbed of their money, jewellery and other personal belongings.
The two were arrested in the upmarket suburb of Oakdene, south of Johannesburg, for allegedly robbing five Pakistani nationals of undisclosed amounts of cash in July last year.
The suspects allegedly followed the victims from the airport before they robbed them, by first flashing what looked like police appointment cards at the victims before taking their belongings.
In nearly all of the cases, the suspects have been impersonating the police, including flashing police paraphernalia at their unsuspecting victims.
According to Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant General Solomon Makgale, investigations into the men’s other criminal activities are going ahead full steam and more charges may be added soon.
“Evidence in possession of the South African Police Service’s task team looking into these followings strongly suggests that one of the men, who is in his early 50s, is the kingpin of these robberies and is possibly linked to several airport following robbery cases,” said Makgale.
The two are in police custody and are expected to appear in the Germiston Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday. - SAnews.gov.za
