Police on Friday confirmed a probe into a theft from a police safe in Benoni but would not say whether this involved the theft of heist money from the Johannesburg International airport robbery in March.
Superintendent Eugene Opperman said a burglary took place on Wednesday night at the serious and violent crimes unit.
According to a report by IOL.co.za, thieves drilled through the door of a large walk-in safe and stole evidence being kept by the unit.
The report said $13-million — out of more than $16-million recovered — was lifted.
”A source told The Star this morning that the evidence stolen had been seized following a brazen heist at the airport in March,” read the report, published on Friday. ”All members who had access to the safe are being investigated, including senior commanders.
”The source could not confirm if charges had been laid against any officers, but said they could be laid later today.”
The report said police had outsourced the task of counting and checking the serial numbers of money recovered from the robbery at Johannesburg International airport robbery of March 25.
Opperman was quoted as saying police were ”following up on certain information that may lead to early arrests”.
When asked about the money, he would say only: ”They [the sources] don’t have all their facts right.”
He would also not reveal exactly how the thieves broke into the safe or what the security set-up around it was.
When asked why such a large amount of money was kept at the unit’s offices, Opperman said: ”It’s a walk-in safe. This is the way evidence is kept.”
Asked by the South African Press Association for further details, Opperman said: ”I am not going to give out any more information. It may hamper our investigation.”
Gauteng police Commissioner Perumal Naidoo is believed to have visited the crime scene, the report read, but refused to comment on the robbery.
During the airport heist, a gang armed with AK-47 rifles held up two security guards as an aircraft loaded with cash arrived from London on March 25. They fled with bags stuffed with United States dollars.
Four days later, two of the alleged robbers were bust trying to enter Zimbabwe. More arrests followed and, to date, 13 people have been arrested. One was gunned down in a shootout with police.
At a court appearance in Kempton Park last month, all alleged members of the syndicate were denied bail. Among them were employees of the Airports Company South Africa and airport security guards.
Police are still hunting for the remaining 11 members of the gang who are on the run. The court heard that some of them could be in Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Angola. — Sapa