Casino robbery: 3rd man held

2004-09-17 20:02

JOhannesburg - A third Zimbabwean man has been arrested in connection with a multimillion-rand robbery at Montecasino earlier this month, said police.

The 30-year-old suspect was found in possession of a "substantial amount of money" at a flat in Yeoville on Thursday, said sergeant Sanku Tsunke.

Tsunke could not reveal how much had been stolen, but said four armed gunmen robbed the casino and made off with a "substantial amount of money".

The man is due to appear in Johannesburg magistrate's court on Monday on charges of armed robbery.

Police seized two vehicles, an Audi A4 and a Mercedes-Benz C180 Kompressor.

The cars were apparently bought with money from the robbery.

A firearm with its serial numbers filed off was also found in the suspect's possession.

Two other suspects, also Zimbabweans, were arrested on the day of the robbery.

They appeared in Johannesburg magistrate's court last Thursday.

Tsunke said the men re-appeared in court last Friday for a bail application, but the case was remanded.

The two were also found in possession of money.

According to Giesecke and Devrient, an independently operated cash processor, the robbery took place at its business, on Montecasino premises.

"Four robbers escaped with an undisclosed amount of money. Police were immediately on the scene and no one was injured. The matter is under police investigation," said the company on Friday.

- SAPA