Rabie Ridge police officers arrested a man suspected of the murder of a woman whose naked body was found dumped in a veld on Boxer Road in Austin View in Midrand on 15 November.
Read: Long weekends – a golden opportunity for cash crimes
The 36-year-old suspect appeared in the Tembisa Magistrates Court on 20 November. He was remanded in custody.
Rabie Ridge police spokesperson Captain Matsobane Masela said the woman was murdered during the night on 14 November. Her body was found by a passerby the next day.
The investigations leading to the arrest did not start with much information until the victims family opened a missing person’s case. The description of their missing family member corresponded with the description of the body that had been found, said Masela.
Detective Warrant Officer Maphoko Cedric Mphahlele lead the investigation and made a breakthrough in less than a week.
Read: Collaborate to fight crime
“The current boyfriend of the victim alerted her family that the victim had arranged to meet up with her ex-boyfriend to collect her car, which the ex-boyfriend been repairing, and [that she] had not been seen since,” said Masela.
The police searched the suspect’s home and allegedly found unlicensed ammunition.
“The suspect was immediately detained,” said Masela. When his colleague arrived to collect the work security vehicle the police also confiscated a cellphone that the suspect had recently sold to him, Masela explained.
Rabie Ridge station commander Leuitenant Johanna Ngoma said this case should serve as a lesson to people who think they can commit crime and get away with it.
Details: Rabie Ridge Police Station 011 310 0400.
What was the main turning point to solving this case that other cases which have been investigated for years, do not have?
