Malmesbury police arrest two suspects and seize illegal firearms in gun crime crackdown
Items recovered during a police operation, including cash, a laptop, a cellphone and tools, laid out at a police station as part of an ongoing investigation.
Image: Supplied
Two illegal firearms have been recovered and two suspects arrested in separate police operations in Malmesbury, as officers intensify efforts to curb gun-related crime in the area.
Members of the South African Police Service Crime Prevention Unit arrested a 49-year-old man on Wednesday after acting on information about an unlicensed firearm at a residence in Thabong Street, Ilingelethu.
Police conducted a search of the house and found the firearm hidden under a mattress in the main bedroom. Further questioning revealed that the registered owner of the firearm had died two years ago.
Confirming the arrest, SAPS spokesperson Ndakhe Gwala said: “They conducted a thorough search and found the firearm hidden under a mattress in the main bedroom.”
The suspect is expected to make his first appearance in the Malmesbury Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
In a separate incident, police responded to a complaint in Chartsworth on Monday at about 6:45pm, where two people were shot. One victim died at the scene, while the suspect fled on foot.
Officers launched a manhunt and, in the early hours of Wednesday, arrested a 22-year-old man at a hideout in Elsies River. The suspect later pointed out to police where he had concealed the firearm linked to the shooting.
The 22-year-old suspect is also due to appear in the Malmesbury Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
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