Cop arrested for ATM bombing
2008-06-22 15:33
Thabisile Khoza
Hendrina - A Gauteng policeman accused of bombing an ABSA automatic teller machine (ATM) in Hendrina, Mpumalanga, will appear in court on Tuesday.
Inspector Mpho Lebakeng, 38, of Sinoville police station in Pretoria and co-accused Lebatlo Michael Thole, 37, of Mamelodi were remanded after their previous appearance in the Hendrina Magistrate's Court last week.
They have not been asked to plead yet to charges of armed robbery, attempted murder, theft of motor vehicle and possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
Thole was arrested on the scene on June 3 after a shootout with police, while Lebakeng was arrested at his house in Pretoria on June 6.
An off-duty constable who lives nearby the ATM had woken up to the explosion and called for back-up.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson Captain Leonard Hlathi said that three men drove past the constable and fired shots at him.
The occupants of two other vehicles, a Toyota Camry and grey VW Golf 5 without registration plates, also shot at him.
Back-up police arrived swiftly and the suspects jumped out their vehicles and escaped on foot.
Thole was shot in the right leg and caught, but the others got away.
Police are still searching for six other suspects.
Inspector Lebakeng has other criminal cases pending against him, including a murder case in Richards Bay where he is implicated in an armed robbery and shootout with security guards.
He also faces kidnapping and perjury charges, and he was out on bail when he was arrested for the Hendrina bombing.
Anyone with information about the other six suspects in the Hendrina matter is asked to call (013) 249 1071.
- African Eye