A Zimbabwean suspected armed robber was shot and injured by his victim, a serving member of the South African Police Services (Saps), whose house the suspect had broken into in the company of two accomplices.
The cop, who had been shot by the intruders, managed to crawl and reach for his service pistol and shot one of his attackers who was later discovered to be a Zimbabwean, Saps said in a statement on Monday.
“The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe has hailed the response of an off-duty police sergeant whose reaction led to the arrest of one suspect following an incident of a house robbery.
The incident happened at Lukau Tshishive village under Mutale policing area in the early hours of Sunday morning, 5 December 2022 at about 01:30,” said Limpopo Province Saps spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba.
“The police sergeant, attached to Mutale Saps was attacked in his house, while sleeping with his wife. He was awoken by a loud bang on the door and three unknown males entered the bedroom, one of them carrying a firearm,” Ledwaba said.
The suspects demanded money and cellphones from the victim and ransacked the room and took some clothes, footwear, ladies handbags and a wallet with bank cards.
“The suspect carrying a firearm shot the sergeant on his shoulder and the other suspects dragged the wife to the nearby bushes. The brave sergeant managed to crawl and get his service pistol and retaliated by firing a shot at the suspect who was left behind in the room.
The suspect ran out of the house and jumped the fence and disappeared into the bushes. The wife later returned and investigations are unfolding on what could have happened to her,” he said.
The wounded Zimbabwean suspect is expected to appear before the Mutale Magistrates Court to face attempted murder and house robbery charges.
A manhunt has been launched for the remaining two suspects.
