Ramotswa police are investigating a gruesome murder case involving a Zimbabwean national who allegedly dismembered his cousin by cutting off his head, arm and leg before disposing of the body in a pit latrine.
The shocking incident was confirmed to Mmegi Online by station commander, Superintendent Keoagile Tau, in an interview. He stated that they acted on a phone call tip off which alerted them of possibility of a corpse in a pit latrine due to a strong stench coming from the toilet. Without wasting time, Tau explained that officers rushed to the scene and were met with a horrendous discovery when a corpse was indeed retrieved from the toilet. "When we got there and destroyed the pit latrine, we found the body inside," Tau said.
"However, that was not all.”This is a brutal murder where we established that the victim’s head, arm, and leg had been cut. This was done to fit the body into the latrine." Tau added that they managed to retrieve all the body parts from the pit latrine. Since the inquiry into the case was at its infancy, the station commander said they were not at liberty to neither confirm nor deny whether the victim was beheaded while still alive. Tau further stated that although they are still conducting investigations, they have fortunately apprehended a suspect, who has been identified as a 27-year-old Zimbabwean man. "We have arrested a 27-year-old, and during our investigations, we discovered that the two were cousins who lived together," he said.
Tau shared that they were able to make the arrest thanks to a friend of the victim who became concerned after the victim had failed to show up for work for three days. "The person who tipped us off explained that he went to check on the victim, only to be told that he was not home.However, as he was leaving, he noticed flies and a strong smell coming from the toilet. It was at that moment that the suspect fled the scene," Tau explained. From preliminary investigations into what might have led to the gruesome murder, Tau revealed that the two had a quarrel that escalated, resulting in the murder.
The 27-year-old suspect is set to be arraigned tomorrow before the Extension II Magistrate Court, where he is likely to face a single count of murder.
