BREAKING NEWS: Four arrested for Westville murder
Westville resident, Paresh Bodalia was shot in the head, in front of his twins, outside his home on Saturday, 5 November.
FOUR men were arrested in Hillcrest on Monday, 7 November for the murder of Westville resident, Paresh Bodalia.
Bodalia (46), who was the owner of Powerhouse Security Services in Seaview and a former reservist, was shot and killed in a botched hijacking in Chearsley Road in Westville, on Saturday night, 5 November.
Bodalia’s sister, Jessi Mehilal, said her brother was on his way home with his children after fetching their nanny. He was approached by the armed men after he had opened his driveway gate and drove towards his double garage. It is believed Bodalia and one of the armed men exchanged fire. Bodalia collapsed at his garage door after being shot in the head. Throughout the ordeal, the nanny had shielded the six-year-old twins from seeing anything. The armed men fled, but did not take Bodalia’s car, a white Ford Ranger.
“He was an extraordinary man. He was a bodybuilder who was strong and had a big heart, but was also soft spoken. He died protecting his children,” said Mehilal.
According to Garrith Jamieson, Rescue Care operations director, paramedics were called to the scene in Chearsley Road just after 8pm. On arrival, Advanced Life Support Paramedics found the victim in a critical condition after he sustained a single gunshot wound. “Paramedics worked on the critically injured man, however he went into cardiac arrest. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful and the man was declared dead at the scene,” said Jamieson.
Communications officer at Westville SAPS, Capt Elizabeth Squires, said Detective W/O Suren Sunder and his team from the Pinetown Cluster Trio Task Team worked fervently since Sunday and finally arrested four men believed to be linked to the Westville murder on Monday night .
“The suspect’s vehicle has been recovered. Tests will be done on the vehicle to extract DNA samples, as one of the four men was injured on the night of the attack and is currently in hospital,” said Squires.
Paresh is survived by his wife, Monica, twin daughters, Terita and Talin, his three sisters and two brothers and family and friends. A memorial service was held at the Clare Estate Crematorium from 1.30pm to 3.30pm on Tuesday, 8 November.
This incident follows four other murders in the Westville area over the last 18 months – Gordon Donaldson was stabbed and fatally shot in his bedroom by robbers in Gardenia Place in January, Piere van Schalkwyk was killed in his home in Alistair Road in February, Gary Mackay was shot dead trying to fend off robbers at his home in Duncan Road in September and Yashin Bagwandeen was shot in the head while trying to protect his family when four gunmen held them inside their home in July 2015. He allegedly came out with his gun and a shootout ensued.
