POLOKWANE – One person died and another was hospitalised at the hands of the Kwena Moloto community following a house break-in on Sunday.
The chairperson of Seshego Community Against Drugs and Gangsterism, Vincent Kunutu says the deceased was caught red handed with a flat screen television and was ‘forced to snitch on his accomplice’ who was found hiding with more stolen goods.
Read more: Blood flows after community catches two suspected thieves
“A member of the community who had a cattle trailer locked the men in the trailer along with the stolen goods with the intention of handing them over to the police. Unfortunately, when the man got into his car, residents opened the trailer and beat the two young men up, saying they preferred to deal with matters themselves as opposed to waiting on the police.”
By the time the police arrived, one of the suspects had been beaten to death and the other had sustained serious injuries.
According to Kunutu, the two young men confessed to a few house break-in incidents in the area and alleged that they were working with the owner of a pawn shop in the city whom they would hand over the stolen goods to as a way of making money.
“We are still looking for the pawn shop owner who has since closed his business.”
Kunutu urged residents to not take the law into their own hands and to hand over any suspects to the police to let the law take its course.
Police confirmed that a case of murder and attempted murder have been opened and that one of the victims is still in hospital.
