Armed robbers shot and killed two police inspectors on Monday morning in Mount Frere, Eastern Cape police said.
Superintendent Mzukisi Fatyela said eight men armed with rifles and pistols robbed a pension pay-out point in the Ngqumane location near Mount Frere at about 9am on Monday.
The men held up a police officer stationed at the pay-out point and took his pistol, R5 rifle, cellphone and an undisclosed amount of cash from the pay-out point.
A shootout then ensued between the gang and two other police officers. They shot and killed the two officers before taking their R5 rifles and pistols.
The men then fled in two vehicles, one stolen from a council worker on the scene. The other vehicle had been reported stolen in Mthatha on Sunday night. The men abandoned the cars nearby and fled on foot.
”We have deployed all resources to make sure we catch them,” said Fatyela.
A dog unit, a national intervention unit and a crime combating unit were called in to track down the robbers, he said.
Police found more than 50 spent cartridges from R5 and AK-47 rifles and pistols on the scene and in the nearby veld.
If arrested, the men would face charges of murder, attempted murder, armed robbery and possession of illegal firearms, Fatyela said. — Sapa