A high-powered hunting rifle reported stolen during an April robbery in Welkom has been recovered by the Welkom Anti-Gang Unit, following a successful raid in Thabong, Free State.
Acting on precise intelligence, officers swooped in on a shack in the 2010 section of Thabong on Monday, 21 July 2025. According to police spokesperson Sergeant Palesa Thabana, the team had received a tip-off suggesting an imminent move of the weapon. A search of the premises uncovered a .308 Musgrave rifle, carefully hidden between corrugated iron sheets.
The rifle had been flagged in connection with a business robbery case earlier this year. Police arrested a suspect at the scene, who now faces a string of serious charges including business robbery, possession of a dangerous weapon, and possession of an unlicensed firearm.
The accused appeared in the Welkom Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 22 July 2025. Authorities have confirmed that investigations are still ongoing, as they work to determine whether the recovered firearm is linked to other crimes or syndicate activity in the region.
The recovery is being hailed as a significant victory in the ongoing fight against organised crime and illegal weapons in the Free State.
