Bluewater Bay cash van robbers linked to other hijackings

Five armed robbers who ambushed a G4S cash-in-transit vehicle at the Bluewater Bay SPAR on Monday afternoon have been linked to two other hijackings just hours before.

Police spokesman Captain Andre Beetge said on Tuesday morning that the suspects – who ambushed guards picking up money at about 3pm – got away with several bags of money and the guards’ firearms.

They fled in a Ford Tracer and Nissan bakkie parked in the car park.

“As the investigation continued, it was determined that both the vehicles had been hijacked minutes apart about four hours earlier,” Beetge said.

The Nissan bakkie – which belongs to a brick company – was hijacked at Truckers Inn in Motherwell at about 11am.

“Two gunmen hijacked the bakkie with a driver and passenger inside. Minutes later, the Ford Tracer, with only the driver inside, was hijacked in Wells Estate.

“Both vehicles were driven to the beach at Wells Estate where all three individuals were forced into the bushes bordering the beach and tied up. The gunmen then fled in their vehicles leading to the robbery about four hours later.”

The occupants managed to escape and alert police.

The two vehicles were found abandoned at about 5pm – one in Old Grahamstown Road, Deal Party and the other in Avenue C, New Brighton.

Police are combing the vehicles for any evidence.

“This was a well-planned robbery and the suspects even managed to hijack vehicles from separate areas, at more or less the same time, to ensure that they had transport,” Beetge said.

The two hijackings and the cash-in-transit robbery investigation have been handed over to the Motherwell Cluster Serious and Violent crime team to investigate.