FBI helps Mpumalanga cops arrest man in connection with robbery of US tourists near Kruger Park

• Police have arrested a man in connection with the robbery of an American couple in Mpumalanga.
• The FBI helped local police with technology that led them to a house where the stolen property was.
• The couple had been travelling to the Kruger National Park at the time of the crime.

A man has been arrested in connection with the kidnapping and robbery of American tourists who were en route to the Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga.

The arrest was made by local police with the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The American couple were travelling to the game reserve along the R536 road in the Calcutta area on Thursday when they were stopped by a VW Golf with a blue light.

The 47-year-old man and 39-year-old woman were held at gunpoint by two armed men, before being driven to a nearby spot where they were robbed of their belongings.

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The couple were left there, and the robbers fled with the stolen items, said Mpumalanga police spokesperson Colonel Donald Mdhluli.

"The victims were later assisted to reach Masoyi Police Station, where a case was opened. The investigation immediately commenced with the hope to arrest those that were responsible," he said.

"It was during the course of the investigation when valuable information through technology was provided by the FBI regarding the whereabouts of some of the reported stolen properties."

The police followed up on the information which led them to a house in Kanyamazane.

"Police found a 36-year-old suspected robber, as well as several items believed to have been stolen during the robbery, including laptops, iPads, binoculars, and a smartwatch," Mdhluli said.

The officers also found a VW Polo fitted with false registration number plates, as well as a 16-channel jammer and a dash blue light.

"The man was arrested and charged for possession of suspected stolen properties, and the police confiscated the recovered items for further investigation."

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The man appeared in Kanyamazane Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, and the matter was postponed to next week. He remains in custody.

"The investigation continues. Due to the delicacy of this probe, his name cannot be revealed at this stage," said Mdhluli.

In October last year, 67-year-old Jörg Schnaar was shot dead while driving to the Kruger National Park.

He was with his wife and two fellow travellers when they were accosted by armed men in a VW Caddy.

Napoleon Joseph Nyalunga, Marshall Cebo Mamba, and Bongumusa Fortune Matsane were arrested after the attack.