Illegal immigrants turn on one another
Pini Bothoko | Monday February 16, 2015 14:49
FRANCISTOWN: Police here are worried about incidents of murder that go unresolved because lack of evidence. Most of the incidents are believed to be perpetrated by illegal immigrants on one another.
The police disclosed that some of the murder incidents happen in the bushes at night when no one is present to witness the crimes. The police stated that foreigners, who come to Botswana without passports and use false identifications during their stay here, are to blame for some of the untraceable offences.
In an interview with The Monitor, Tati Town station commander Cyprian Magalila said that back in April 4, 2013 a, woman was found dead at Mautakgang lands few kilometres from Marapong and he added that they have not arrested anyone in connection with her death.
“We were informed that the woman was alone at the fields when the incident occurred. We tried to locate the offender and to date we have not arrested anyone,” he said.
He, however said that they have not closed the murder docket and pleaded with the public to help them with any information that may lead to the arrest of the killer(s).
In another case, Magalila said that an old woman and her daughter were killed by an unknown person at the lands in the outskirts of Marobela on May 17, 2013.
“We suspect that the incident occurred at night and until today we have not arrested the killer(s), but investigations are still ongoing. We plead with the public to help us arrest the culprit,” said Magalila.
Magalila revealed they have another pending case in which a Zimbabwean man is suspected to have been killed by fellow Zimbabweans at Mathangwane village on October 26 last year. “We are struggling to arrest the offenders because they were known by false names within the village and is hard to trace them back home in Zimbabwe,” said Magalila.
He stated that recently a woman was shot dead by hijackers along A3 road, near Sebina junction, adding that they managed to arrest one suspect while two others are still on the run.
“Investigations in this case are ongoing. We hope the public will help us to arrest the suspects who are still at large,” said Magalila.
Magalila disclosed that they are also investigating a case in which bones of a woman were retrieved from a borehole at a cattle post few kilometers away from ShasheMooke in September 18, 2013.
He said that investigations are still ongoing to find out if the woman was murdered and thrown inside the borehole because the borehole was not in use. “We do not close cases of this nature. Once a new lead emerges we start our investigations again hoping that the culprits may be arrested,” said Magalila adding that they sometimes offer rewards to members of the public who help them with information that may lead to the arrest of suspects.
The Station Commander of Central Police Lebalang Maniki said that his station has two unresolved murder cases.
Maniki said that between January 18 and 19 in 2013, a Zambian lady, who worked as a radiographer at Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital, was found murdered at her Area A residence. He stated that some of her properties like television set, microwave and a radio system were stolen by the culprits.
“The offender(s) drove away in her car Toyota RunX and abandoned it at China Town where the police later found it,” he said. He said that they also have a murder case in which a Zimbabwean man was murdered on January 24, 2014 near Bimbos at night. He said that people found the man in a pool of blood and it appeared as if there was a fight because the deceased was stabbed with something sharp. Maniki said that no one witnessed the killing, but they suspect that the killer might also be a Zimbabwean adding that investigations into the matter are still ongoing. The police have pleaded with members of the public to give them information that may lead to the arrest of the perpetrators.