The death toll in the Makhado cash heist take-down operation has increased, Limpopo authorities recently revealed.
Makhado cash heist death toll: Here are the latest updates
In a statement, police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe lifted the lid on several sensitive details about the deadly encounter between several law enforcement units and a group of armed suspects linked to a string of cash-in-transit heists, on Friday, 1 September 2023.
According to Mathe, we now know the suspect death toll stood at 19, as of Sunday, 3 September 2023, following the death of an unidentified gunman, who succumbed to his wounds in hospital.
Moreover, police revealed that included in the Makhado cash heist death toll are two females, albeit, it’s unclear if they were observed as active participants in the shooting.
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Following the incident, provincial Hawks spokesperson Matimba Maluleke revealed that trace operations on the movements of the suspects, who were linked to several high-stakes cash heists in Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga led authorities to a property situated in Thohoyandou.
Maluleke further revealed that apart from the group’s alleged links to cash heists, it’s also believed the property harboured suspects wanted in connection with a recent shooting with police in Louis Trichardt that culminated in the loss of multiple lives.
Following the fiery shootout on Friday, 1 September 2023, investigators recovered two vehicles, one of which was an ambulance believed to be central to the group’s alleged plot to pull off another cash-in-transit heist.
How the group managed to obtain the emergency rescue vehicle remains the subject of an intensive investigation, which also involves the identification of the 19 deceased suspects.
Details about the property, its landlord and whether they have any criminal links to the group have yet to be addressed by authorities.
Here are some of the videos that surfaced on social media, showing the harrowing moment loud gunshots rocked Thohoyandou residents.
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