The incident happened near Bushbuckridge this week.
The police in Mpumalanga have arrested and charged three of their colleagues for theft.
A charge of defeating the ends of justice was also added.
The three were part of eight cops who arrived in a marked VW minibus on the crime scene where the G4S vehicle had been forced to stop and money taken.
When the gang forced the G4S armoured truck to stop, they blasted the safe and money scattered all over the place. The gang took some and some notes were left on the scene when the cops in the minibus arrived to pick them up for themselves.
The incident happened between Saselani and Buyisonto near Bushbuckridge.
“They were the first ones to arrive at the scene,” police spokesman Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said of the cops in the minibus.
“When other SAPS members arrived, they were informed by community members that they saw some police officers who were travelling in the minibus which had by then left few minutes ago taking money that was scattered around.
“The members were called while travelling at Dwarsloop and ordered to halt right there. When their colleagues arrived, they searched them and as a result the three were nabbed after being allegedly found with some notes suspected to have been taken at the scene,” Hlathi said.
They were expected to appear at the Mhala Magistrates Court.
Provincial police boss Lieutenant-General Mondli Zuma lauded the community members.
“The duty of the police at a crime scene is to safe guard it, protect property and all other exhibits lying around but not to temper and take anything from it. I believe that the arrest of these members will serve as a deterrent to other members who might be tempted to cross the line at any time,†Zuma said.
(edited by MLM)
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