- A defence force member has been arrested in connection with a cash-in-transit heist.
- The heist took place at a petrol station in Oudtshoorn last week.
- Three others had been arrested shortly after the heist.
A South African National Defence Force (SANDF) member has been arrested in connection with a cash-in-transit heist that took place in the Klein Karoo town of Oudtshoorn earlier this month.
The heist occurred at a petrol station on Monday, 19 July.
"The 36-year-old SANDF captain, attached to the Infantry School in Oudtshoorn, was arrested on Friday and will be the fourth suspect to be charged after three suspects were arrested shortly after the incident," Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani said.
"This comes after security guards from Fidelity Cash Solutions were robbed while collecting cash from a petrol station. One of the security guards was accosted by two armed suspects while on his way back to his armoured vehicle. He was disarmed of his service pistol and robbed of a bag containing cash."
The Hawks stopped a Nissan Sentra shortly after the robbery and arrested three occupants. When searching the vehicle, officers found the security guard's stolen firearm, a sealed money bag containing the stolen cash, and a second firearm, Hani added. The serial number of the second firearm had been filed off.
The Hawks team also found a full SANDF uniform set in the Nissan Sentra.
None of the three occupants were soldiers. A loyal service medal was pinned to the jacket and it displayed the name and rank of the SANDF member.
"Further probing found that the vehicle that was used in the robbery - a white Toyota Tazz fitted with false number plates - had been driven by the SANDF member. The white Toyota Tazz drove away from the crime scene and stopped next to a silver/blue Nissan Sentra, and the stolen goods were transferred from the Toyota Tazz to the Nissan Sentra," Hani said.
On Wednesday, the Hawks team found the Tazz parked inside the garage of a residence in Oudtshoorn, not far from the Infantry School. The false number plates used in the robbery were found inside the vehicle, Hani said.
"Consequently, the SANDF member was arrested. The suspect is due to appear [on Monday] in the Oudtshoorn Magistrate's Court on charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances," Hani said.
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