A cash-in-transit heist in Thokoza, Ekurhuleni, has left a 14-year-old girl wounded after a gang rammed and bombed an armoured vehicle along Khumalo Street before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash.
According to Gauteng police, the robbery happened at around 13:30 when an armoured cash van was travelling on Khumalo Street and was struck by a vehicle carrying the suspects, forcing it to overturn.
A preliminary investigation indicates the robbers then attacked the overturned van, disarmed the guards and blew open the vehicle to reach the cash.
Teenager hit by stray bullet
During the shootout that followed, a 14-year-old girl in the vicinity was hit by a stray bullet.
Police say she was taken to hospital for medical treatment. No fatalities have been reported, and the security guards escorting the vehicle were not injured.
Police confirmed that the guards were outnumbered and disarmed at the scene. Their firearms were taken before the robbers accessed the armoured compartment and made off with an undisclosed sum of money.
Witness accounts and the initial police assessment suggest the suspects used a second vehicle to ram the cash van and then deployed explosives to bomb the armoured section.
A charred vehicle believed to have been used by the robbers was found next to the cash van after the attack.
Investigators believe the gang operated in about four vehicles during the heist, which they used both to ram the van and to escape.
The exact number of suspects is still being verified.
Manhunt underway after cash-in-transit heist in Thokoza
Gauteng police have launched a manhunt for the suspects. Crime-scene experts remained on Khumalo Street on Wednesday afternoon to document the scene, recover ballistic evidence and examine the burnt-out vehicle.
Police are appealing for information from anyone who may have witnessed suspicious vehicles or movements in the area before or after the heist.
Members of the public with information are urged not to approach the suspects, who are believed to be armed and dangerous, and to contact the nearest police station or the Crime Stop hotline.
Further updates are expected as investigators firm up the number of suspects, confirm the amount of cash stolen and receive feedback on the teenager’s condition
