Detective Constable Thabo Selekedi investigates serious and violent crimes in the Douglasdale policing precinct.
He explained that on 16 June 2011, four men entered a house in Jukskei Park and assaulted and raped a woman, who was in her late twenties at the time. According to Selekedi, the four men raped the woman in front of her parents, her husband, and her baby who was four months old at the time.
After ransacking the house the men forced the woman’s husband into his car and made him drive them to the Joburg CBD. As the husband stopped his vehicle at the robbers’ desired location, he alerted police, who were parked nearby and they managed to chase down and arrest one suspect. Based on information they received, the Douglasdale police then arrested another two suspects a week later.
The fourth suspect’s whereabouts was unknown until the middle of last year when Selekedi made a breakthrough in the case. Selekedi was contacted by an informant who knew the fourth suspect and gave the wanted man’s cellphone to the detective.
The detective contacted the suspect using an instant messaging application and pretended to be a woman. He enticed the suspect with his messages and then organised a woman constable to phone the suspect to arrange a meeting.
The suspect agreed to meet what he believed to be a woman in Alexandra, but to his surprise police were waiting for him at the meeting place.
According to Selekedi all four men appeared at the Palm Ridge High Court where one of the accused pleaded guilty, and received a sentence of 15 years for robbery, 10 years for the kidnapping and life imprisonment for rape.
Selekedi said evidence was still being gathered to convict the three other accused and they will appear in the Palm Ridge High Court soon.
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