Welkom lawmen uncover concealed weapons

June 29, 2024 36 5

Welkom lawmen uncover concealed weapons

Six suspects were arrested in Harmony, Virginia, for possession of two unlicensed firearms and ammunition.

On Monday, 24 June, members of Crime Intelligence received information from residents in Virginia about two vehicles suspected to contain firearms.

The information was operationalised by the Welkom Tactical Response Team (TRT) and Crime Intelligence. At about 15:30, two suspicious vehicles were spotted in Harmony Way.

One of them was a white Volkswagen Polo with a Gauteng registration plate, seen near a BP petrol station, riverside parking.

Capt. Stephen Thakeng, media liaison officer for the Lejweleputswa police, says members tactically approached the vehicles. “There were three occupants (two African men and one African woman) who were instructed to get out.”

The police found a 9 mm pistol with the serial number clearly visible, with one magazine and eight live rounds were found hidden behind the driver’s seat. The suspects were arrested for possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

A second vehicle, a silver Golf 6 with foreign registration plates, was spotted next to the four-way stop and it was also approached tactically.

“There were three African men who were instructed to get out. While the police were searching, a 9 mm pistol with the serial number clearly visible, and one magazine with four live rounds of ammunition was found hidden in the vehicle’s air filter cabin. An additional three suspects from Lesotho and the Oranje farm in Gauteng were arrested for possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. The two vehicles were seized,” Thakeng shared.

Written by: goldfmc1

SAPS