Eighteen suspected robbers were shot and killed during a shootout with South African police in the Limpopo province, the police said on Friday.

Addressing the media from the crime scene in Makhado in South Africa’s northernmost province, national police commissioner Fannie Masemola said the suspects were allegedly planning a cash-in-transit (CIT) heist and were responsible for similar crimes in other provinces.

“We do believe this syndicate has been involved in a number of CITs in this province, Mpumalanga and Gauteng,” Masemola said.

One police officer was injured in the shootout, which lasted about 90 minutes, he added.