Trio arrested after foreign national found dead near Fouriesburg
· Citizen
Three suspects have been arrested within 12 hours of a foreign national being found dead in a garbage bag along the R26 outside Fouriesburg in the Free State.
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The Thabo Mofutsanyana District Operational Crime Combatting Unit arrested the trio following an investigation into the alleged kidnapping, murder and theft of the deceased’s Toyota Hilux bakkie.
The suspects, aged 18, 23 and 26, are all from Mashaeng township.
Police arrested the 18-year-old suspect, a Grade 11 pupil, at school. His arrest led police to the other two alleged accomplices.
Body found near R26
Police received a complaint at about 9am on Wednesday after a community member discovered a human body near Uitkyk Farm, about 5km outside Fouriesburg towards Ficksburg.
According to police, officers found the body covered with a large white recycling bag and hidden among trees in one of the camps next to the road.
The deceased was found in blood-stained clothing.
His sibling, who lives in Fouriesburg, later identified the body.
Police said the man had been staying alone at a rented residence and owned a tuckshop in Mashaeng.
His brother last saw him on Sunday, 6 September, after the pair attended a church service in Bethlehem.
On Tuesday, 8 September, the brother realised the man was missing and that his white Toyota Hilux, bearing Free State registration plates, was also gone.
He subsequently reported him missing at the local police station.
Bakkie allegedly sold in Gauteng
Information gathered during the investigation led detectives to the 18-year-old suspect, whose arrest led to the arrests of the other two suspects.
Police also seized 27 rounds of live ammunition from one of the suspects.
Further investigation allegedly established that the stolen bakkie had been sold in Gauteng.
The three suspects face charges of kidnapping, murder and theft of a motor vehicle, while one suspect faces an additional charge of unlawful possession of ammunition.
They are expected to appear in the Fouriesburg Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
Commissioner praises police
Free State provincial commissioner Lieutenant General Thabang Lesia praised the police officers involved in the investigation for their swift response.
Lesia applauded the “swift and excellent investigative work” and urged the team to keep enforcing the law and ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.
The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the alleged kidnapping, murder and theft remains ongoing.