POLOKWANE - The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has hailed a team of investigators for ultimately cracking a case of kidnapping in which a 31-year-old woman, Refiloe Malope, was allegedly taken by force by two suspects who were seen shoving her into the boot of a sedan at Kgaphamadi village under Hlogotlou policing area on 09 May 2022.
Two suspects, a 40 year-old Police Sergeant stationed at Benoni police station in Gauteng and his accomplice, aged 39, were nabbed during a joint intelligence driven operation that was conducted by the Limpopo Tracking Team, Provincial Organized Crime and Hlogotlou Detectives.
The police Sergeant was arrested while at work on Tuesday, 21 June 2022, and his accomplice was apprehended at his hideout yesterday, in Apel policing precinct.
The team is currently following up on the information that the suspects might have murdered the woman and dumped her body into a discontinued ventilation mine shaft in Benoni, Gauteng Province.
The Search and Rescue unit of the SAPS in Benoni and the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) have been requested to assist in these efforts. The operation will commence as soon as the necessary equipment to access the shaft is made available.
The suspects will appear in Nebo Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 23 June 2022 facing charges of kidnapping and obstructing the course of justice.
Source: South African Police Service