Five people were arrested by the Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) after two children and a woman was killed, and five others wounded in drive-by shootings in Bishop Lavis on Christmas Eve.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa said the suspects were arrested in an operation that started in Athlone in the early hours of Thursday.

“In the early hours of this morning, the members descended on an informal settlement in Athlone, where they arrested a 23-year-old suspect and seized several items including medical supplies, R29 000 in cash, cellphones and a gas welder with regulators,” said Potelwa.

Potelwa further stated that six other suspects were taken in for questioning on Thursday morning. She said while busy with the search, information led the team to two more suspects wanted for a murder and an attempted murder case that occurred in Bishop Lavis in October 2018. The suspects in their twenties were subsequently arrested.

“In the last leg of the operation, AGU members drove nearby Bonteheuwel, where they arrested two other suspects – both aged 27 – for the shooting incident where two children died on December 24, 2018, in Bishop Lavis precinct,” she stated.