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The National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola has confirmed that 18 suspected cash-in-transit robbery have been killed in a shoot-out with police in Louis Trichardt, Limpopo.

Masemola reports that the intense shootout endured for 90 minutes.

Police indicate the gang’s involvement in a string of cash-in-transit robberies across three provinces. He says officers have been tracking the suspects for three days.

Masemola, who was at the crime scene on Friday, says the group has been holding meetings to discuss how to break into one of the biggest depots in the province.

“During this battle sixteen men were shot dead with two female. From the police side we have one member that has been injured. We decide to do a take down operation that is where started to follow them closure that is why were able to see when they bring everything into this house.”

Arrest in Thohoyandou

While police were having a shootout with the gang in Louis Trichardt, four people were arrested in Thohoyandou at a house that is linked to the group.

Commissioner Masemola says they also recovered vehicles, including an ambulance which was going to be used to transport the money to Gauteng.

“In Thohoyandou there is no causalities we have arrested four suspects and four vehicles have also been recovered one of those vehicle is an ambulance that was gonna be used to transport the cash from out of of the province of Limpopo to Gauteng.”

One police officer was also shot and seriously injured during the shoot-out. He is being treated at a local hospital. Masemola says those killed came from different provinces including, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo. Some of them have been identified

18 suspects killed in a shootout with police in Limpopo:

Civic organisations and community members express shock at the spate of cash-in-transit heists reported in and around Thohoyandou.

Several incidents of cash-in-transit heist and robberies were recorded in areas such as Tshakhuma, Nzhelele and Thohoyandou.

SABC NEWS