In what looked like an extract from a heist movie, about eight suspects were captured on CCTV camera at the East Rand Mall wheeling out jewellery they had just stolen.
Cashiers were held up at gunpoint while the gang ransacked the shop of its valuable goods. The incident left shoppers and employees of the jewellery shop in the Ekurhuleni Mall traumatised.
As the gang headed out of the busy mall at about 11:50 am on Sunday, a shootout ensued with security guards who called for backup from the police.
Police officers and the security guards gave chase as the cars driven by the suspects headed for Alexandra, in northern Johannesburg.
The police's swift response yielded results when they found one of the suspects in Alexandra's Stjwetla informal settlement, near Marlboro. That was not the only crime scene.
The first suspect took the police to two other locations where another suspect was arrested. The crime scenes were dotted around three different locations in the crime-ridden and overpopulated township.
Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo, who was present at all three crime scenes in the township, said the gang has robbed a shop of an undisclosed amount of jewellery.
"The first suspect led the police to two houses in Alexandra, where the second suspect was arrested and three getaway cars were recovered. The suspects were found with two rifles, a pistol, ammunition and explosives," he said.
Lt-Col Masondo confirmed that two suspects were found in possession of high calibre guns and expensive cars.
He said the authorities recovered an Audi (reportedly hijacked in Limpopo), a Golf 7, an AK-47, and an R5 rifle. Police also found stained money in the houses where the suspects were hiding.
"We suspect the gang is involved in ATM bombings as well as cash-in-transit heists," Masondo said.
Masondo said police are still on the lookout for suspects that are at large and the jewellery taken during the business robbery.
The arrested suspects will be charged with business robbery, possession of unlicensed firearms and possession of a suspected hijacked vehicle, amongst other crimes.
They will appear in court soon.
