Swazi Observer

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TROUBLESOME ESCAPEES SHOT DEAD

By Alec Lushaba | 2019-07-01

AFTER about two months of causing terror and havoc in the Lubombo region, police last night shot and killed all three Big Bend Prison escapees.

According to sources, the police received information that the three suspects who escaped from the Big Bend Correctional facilitywere hiding at a certain homestead at Mpaka on the way to Lubhuku.

The officers, in a joint operation with other security officers, went there in an attempt to arrest them and the suspects resisted arrest , as they tried to open fire at the officers.

Police were tipped by residents that the three were at a certain homestead, and called them out from the hut they were hiding in.

Instead of responding to the call, the suspects, who were armed to the teeth, opened fire.

Shots

“Police who were strategically positioned retaliated with fire. One of the suspects jumped out and tried to run for it and did not heed calls to surrender. He was shot and killed in the process,” the source stated.

Those who remained in the hut were forced out through the exchange of gun fire, but still fought back the police who were jumping to arrest them. It was then that they were also gunned down. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the incident last night.

She said they got a tip-off on Saturday about the suspects and had been on their heels since then until they were directed to the homestead yesterday, where they cornered them.

Police recently claimed that the spate of robberies in some areas of the Lubombo region were linked to the three suspects.

The suspects are; Celumusa Maziya, Siyabonga Simelane and Chisano Nhleko. More details will be revelled in tomorrow’s edition.

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