Johannesburg – Five men were arrested when police were tipped off about a planned robbery in Soweto on Monday afternoon.

Eleven men arrived at a vehicle parts business in Meadowlands just before closing time at 17:00, allegedly intending to rob it, police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Katlego Mogale said.

Police, who had been lying in wait, confronted them. Shots were fired, but nobody was hurt. 

Six of the 11 escaped in a blue VW Polo and a white Mercedes Vito. The other five were arrested when police cornered their black Toyota Auris, which was reported stolen in Sandton in June.

Two 9mm pistols and two revolvers were confiscated.