Everson Luhanga
Three criminals who have been masquerading as cops and were wanted by police in connection with multiple armed robberies were arrested on the West Rand on Thursday.
The three armed men were considered dangerous by police, but passing them in the street, there would be virtually nothing to distinguish between them and real policemen.
The men were in possession of police appointment cards, handcuffs and unlicensed firearms, as well as moveable blue lights to place on the hood of a car, when they were arrested.
Preliminary investigations linked the suspects, aged between 34 and 36, to an armed robbery committed in Klerkskraal in late October. However, it is alleged that they have been targeting members of the public for several weeks around Gauteng, Free State and North West.
Their most recent robbery allegedly took place on Thursday, just hours before they were arrested.
The suspects, aged between 34 and 36, were arrested by the Hawks on Thursday morning on Hendrik Potgieter Road near Muldersdrift, Gauteng.
They were arrested after members of the Hawks’ Tactical Operations Management Section learned that the suspects drove a Golf 7 fitted with blue lights, Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale told Scrolla.Africa
“The suspects were spotted on Hendrik Potgieter Road and were successfully cornered by the team,” she said.
Colonel Mogale confirmed that when the suspects were arrested, they were in possession of genuine police equipment.
“During their arrest, the suspects were found in possession of police equipment including handcuffs, blue lights, and two unlicensed firearms as well as ammunition,” said Colonel Mogale.
She added that the police are still investigating how the genuine police equipment was obtained by the suspects.
“At this stage the police are gathering as much information as possible that would reveal more about the arrested suspects and how they operated.”
Police are given powers that ordinary citizens do not have, and citizens have to trust them to use those powers to uphold law and order. This is what makes the prospect of a violent criminal posing as a cop terrifying to so many.
