20 men bomb six ATMs

A cop was wounded in KwaDukuza during a shootout with a gang who bombed six ATMs and hijacked security guards.

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Durban - A police officer was wounded in KwaDukuza during a shootout with a group of 20 men who bombed six ATMs and hijacked security guards in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Police spokesman Major Thulani Zwane said the officer was injured in the shootout as police responded to the incident, which took place at a bank opposite the Kwadukuza (Stanger) Magistrate’s court.

While Zwane did not name the bank, the bank that is immediately opposite the court is a branch of Standard Bank.

Zwane said the officer, who had been shot in the abdomen, had been taken to hospital in a serious, but stable condition.

Details of the heist were sketchy, but Zwane said the group of 20 men disarmed the security guards and hijacked their bakkie.

Asked how much money was stolen, Zwane said: “It is not clear if anything was taken, but they seemed to be well organised”.

There were also reports that three security guards had been taken to hospital, but Zwane could not immediately say if the reports were accurate.

Police were investigating a case of armed robbery, malicious damage to property, attempted murder and hijacking.

Police were still on scene by mid-morning on Wednesday.

ANA