74-year-old woman found dead in KZN home

The body of 74-year-old Yashika Jugroop was discovered by family members and neighbours at her home on Valda Road in Northdale, KZN, yesterday, after concerns arose that she had not been seen throughout the day.

Community members alerted Jugroop’s nephew, Jashvir Sookdew, as they had not seen the woman.

Upon arriving at her home, her niece, Yakira Sookdew, says they had to break down the front door to gain entry.

“We found my aunt’s body in the passage with a scarf around it. At this time, we cannot confirm what happened.

“Her back door keys are missing, and there were inconsistent footprints in the house,” Yakira says, adding that her family is devastated.

She says Jugroop was a vulnerable senior citizen.

Jashvir says Jugroop had been the victim of multiple burglaries in the past two months.

“In one incident, she came face to face with a burglar on the property,” he says.

The Mountain Rise SAPS Community Policing Forum chairperson, Sham Govender, arrived on the scene shortly after 18:00.

“When we got to the residence, we found the body of the 74-year-old on the floor with no signs of life.

“Ambulance services and other role players were called to the scene,” Govender says.

The police processed the scene until late last night.