Two of five armed robbers who disrupted a church service in Klipfontein, eMalahleni, South Afica, on Wednesday evening have been arrested by police on charges of robbery and kidnapping.
The incident occurred shortly before 7 p.m. when the suspects stormed into the church, holding nine congregants, including the pastor and church elders, at gunpoint.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Donald Mdhluli said the victims were forced to lie down and were restrained with cable ties. The robbers searched them and stole personal items including cellphones, wallets containing bank cards, laptops, and a church-owned computer screen. They also demanded car keys and PIN codes to the stolen phones.
The victims were then bundled into three of their own vehicles and driven to a remote bush area. According to Mdhluli, two suspects remained with the victims while the others left and later returned to collect their accomplices. Family members reported the incident, prompting a joint response from police and Tracker Connect.
Law enforcement located the victims in a bushy area in Kromdraai. One person sustained minor injuries and was treated by medical personnel. Police recovered three stolen vehicles: a Mercedes-Benz found in Vosman with a 21-year-old suspect, a VW Polo abandoned in the same area, and an Isuzu KB bakkie recovered in Silverton, Gauteng, where a 27-year-old male suspect was arrested. Both suspects are expected to appear in court soon, while efforts to track the remaining three suspects continue.
In a separate case, Mpumalanga police also arrested a suspect following the hijacking of a doctor in Barberton late Tuesday night. The doctor was accosted by two armed men around 11:45 p.m. while driving home after work. The suspects made off with his white Mahindra bakkie.
The Mbombela Flying Squad tracked the stolen vehicle on the N4 highway heading toward Mbombela. A high-speed chase ensued, ending when the suspect driving the vehicle lost control and veered off the road near the Sudwala Caves. While one suspect escaped, the driver was arrested at the scene.
Police recovered a 9mm pistol with its serial number removed, ammunition, and a military-grade signal jamming device with 16 antennas.
The search for the remaining suspects in both cases is ongoing. Authorities are urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stop at 08600 10111 or report via the MySAPS app.
