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Robbers' cells silenced forever
11/12/2007 23:23 - (SA)
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| A heavily-armed policeman stands at the scene
where 11 would-be robbers were shot dead. The body of one can be seen in the background. (Theana Calitz, Beeld)
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Liela Magnus, Beeld
Pretoria - The sound of dead robbers' cellphones, ringing incessantly, interrupted the sounds at the gun battle site at which 11 attackers died in a major foiled heist.
Then, the phones stopped ringing as news of the police success spread. On some phones there were 15 missed calls.
One robber, who died in an ambulance after uttering a final prayer, was taken out and put next to his dead accomplices.
National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi said: "There was every sign that the gang intended to set fire to the cash van.
"I'm delighted we could prevent this horrible crime," he said.
The sole surviving member of the gang of 12 is in a critical condition in a Gauteng hospital.
To date, it's the largest number of robbers killed in a transit heist.
Director Phuti Setati said at the gun-battle scene: "Criminals understand only one language.
"I think we made our message clear today (on Tuesday) and that they (the robbers) will know in future what language we're speaking."
The cash-in-transit heist was foiled at Carousel, north of Pretoria on Tuesday when police shot dead 11 robbers trying to rob a cash van.
Used two bakkies, Volvo
It's the second cash-in-transit job in three weeks in which robbers have been caught red-handed by police.
Six died in a previous attempted heist at the Fountains Circle in Pretoria.
A member of the police team also died in that attack.
None of the police nor the Protea Coin Group employees was injured in Tuesday's shootout.
The 12 robbers had tried to use two bakkies and a Volvo to rob the cash van at the intersection of the old Warmbaths road and the Maubane road in Limpopo.
They ran into a full force of members of the police team, members of the hi-tech unit, and other officers.
It was the second botched transit heist at that intersection in three months.
Three robbers died in the previous incident.
Selati said police had been tipped off about Tuesday's planned transit heist.
"Team members were waiting for the robbers at strategic points. When the robbers opened fire, the police responded.
"The team members were deployed on the ground, in vehicles and in the air," said Setati.
One of the police vehicles had so many bullet holes in it, it looked like a sieve.
Ambulances rushed to the scene
Nine of the robbers died where they tried to attack the cash van.
Two others ran into the mealie fields, where another one was killed.
The eleventh man was declared dead on arrival at Pretoria Academic Hospital, when the helicopter touched down.
Ambulances had been rushed to the scene for the surviving robbers. One robber died in an ambulance. His body was taken out and put next to his dead accomplice.
The only survivor was taken to a Gauteng hospital in critical condition.
For security reasons, Setati did not want to disclose which hospital it was.
Three dead robbers lay next to one bakkie and another was behind the steering wheel of the other bakkie. The rest of the bodies were strewn around.
After the botched heist, their cellphones rang incessantly at first, and then became quiet as news of the successful police action spread.
A spokesperson for Protea Coin Group said they had worked closely with the police, and consequently had been ready for the robbers.
Setati said the police had seized two bakkies, a Volvo, four AK-47 assault rifles, an R-5 rifle, a shotgun and five other firearms.
- Beeld
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