A victim of an armed robbery in Mpumalanga bit one of his attackers on the hand after he threatened him with a firearm.
According to the police, two suspects, with a blue light on their vehicle, stopped a car that was driving near the N4 in Dalmanutha, near Belfast, at around 04:45 on Thursday.
“Allegedly, the suspects posed as law enforcement officers and ordered the victims to keep quiet,” says Brig. Selvy Mohlala, police spokesperson.
The driver of the vehicle was ordered to drive to a weighbridge, while another attacker went to the passenger side of the vehicle, where he apparently pulled out a firearm, threatened the motorist’s son with it and then took his passport.
Father and son are Mozambican citizens.
Mohlala says at this stage a struggle arose between the boy and the suspect with the firearm.
“The suspect was somehow disarmed by the young man. He grabbed the pistol and bit the (attacker’s) hand.
“However, the suspect bit the motorist’s son back on the ear before both suspects fled.”
They left the firearm behind, but chipped away with the passport.
The incident was reported to the police in Belfast after which a case of armed robbery is being investigated. No one has been arrested yet and the investigation continues. The police also seized the firearm.
Lt. Gen. Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, provincial police commissioner in Mpumalanga, expressed great concern about robberies – by attackers who use blue lights to catch their victims.
“We appeal to people to be careful of these criminals who exploit unsuspecting victims. We are on the suspects’ trail and it is only a matter of time before we bring them to justice.”
