A gang of armed men shot a security guard in the face and kidnapped another guard and his dog after blowing up two ATMs in Tshwane on Wednesday morning, police said.
Spokesperson Aveline Hardaker said between six and eight men, armed with handguns and rifles, blew up two ATMs at about 3am on the corners of Main and Nelmapius streets in Irene.
The men forced a security guard on the premises and his dog into their car before speeding off.
”The dog bit one of the men. The security guard and his dog were dropped off unharmed at Vorna Valley in Midrand,” said Hardaker.
But as the robbers were driving off, another security guard patrolling the area drove towards the explosion. The men shot him in the face and hand and he was taken to a nearby hospital.
The robbers took an undisclosed amount of money.
Meanwhile, two police officers and a military officer will face ATM bombing charges when they appear in the Vereeniging Magistrate’s Court with two others on Wednesday, Gauteng police said.
One of those arrested was attached to the police’s explosives unit, Superintendent Eugene Opperman said.
The five were arrested early on Tuesday in connection with an ATM blast in the Vaal Rand area. Confiscated explosives will form part of the evidence. — Sapa