Pretoria police are investigating whether the alleged hijacking and cash-heist kingpin they arrested on Friday was involved in armed robberies in Garsfontein and Lyttelton during his three years on the run.
Andrew Pilusa (27) is accused of being part of the syndicate behind more than 40 hijackings and two cash-in-transit heists.
He links to two more armed robberies was now also being probed, said Inspector Lucas Sithole.
Pilusa has been on the most wanted list of Johannesburg and Pretoria police since he escaped in 2002 from the Silverton police station’s cells where he was being held for an alleged armed robbery.
He was arrested on Friday by police acting on a tip-off. They had him surrounded when he reversed into a police van, damaging it and slightly injuring a police officer.
”Police opened fire and the suspect was shot in the shoulder. He was admitted to hospital under police guard,” said Constable Brenda Kgafela.
Pilusa made a brief appearance in the Pretoria Magistrate’s court on Wednesday on a charge of escaping from lawful custody.
The case was postponed until January 6 for further investigation into the alleged armed robberies in Garsfontein and Lyttelton, said Sithole.
Pilusa remains in custody. – Sapa