Thieves mount brazen robberies on armored vehicles in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG – Criminal Groups in South Africa Have Increased Attacks on Security Trucks That Carry Large Amounts of Money, Open Fires and Explode vehicles in chaotic scenes.

Some viewers are able to film the attacks and post images on social media, amplifying concerns in a country fighting a high rate of violent crime.

Authorities stimulate intelligence and other work The armed gangs, whose members seem to have specific roles: shooter, watchman, driver.

"It's almost as if everyone had their own skill," said Yusuf Abramjee, a South African anti-crime activist. "These people are striking with military precision."

They could get help from rogue police, and local media reported the possible use of stolen military weapons in some cases of theft .

There were 75 attacks on vehicles carrying species. Kalyani Pillay, CEO of the South African Banking Risk Information Center, said this year, compared with 31 for the same period in 2017. Just under 40% of the attacks were thwarted. Two civilians, one police officer, five guards and nine suspects were killed in this year's robberies and another 93 people were injured, Pillay said.

Thieves carrying out such robberies stole 63% more than their own. money this year than at the same time. 2017, according to Pillay. It declined to say how much, although the amount is estimated at at least several million dollars

Unions representing workers involved in the transportation of money organized demonstrations in major cities in June for more than protection at work. "Stop bombarding our vans", reading a sign during a march to Cape Town.

Heist's methods have varied over the years. In 1997, thieves in Bronkhorstspruit dragged a chain of crampons on a highway to block a pickup truck and killed two guards. The hit recalls a scene from the 1995 movie "Heat" in which a gang uses a crampon band to thwart the police chase after stealing an armored car.

Today, burglar teams in South Africa can count from 10 to 15 people. Shielded armored security vehicles must be fired with commercial explosives possibly collected from the mining industry.

Gangs involved in such helmets include people from neighboring countries, including Botswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. About 200 people would be the "spearhead" of attacks in South Africa, said a security company.