GRAPHIC IMAGES: Street robbers beaten by angry mob
An irate mob, armed with knobkerries and rocks, enacted instant vengeance on three men accused of robbing a schoolchild of their phone in Makhulong section.
After an attack by an enraged crowd in connection with a street robbery, one suspect was killed and two others were critically injured and battling for their lives in hospital.
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On February 16, a mob of Makhulong Section residents in Thembisa severely beat three men, aged 20 to 30, accusing them of robbery.
Brig Roopchand Sookraj, Thembisa station commander, said a school child’s cellphone was allegedly taken by three men in a white VW Polo vehicle.
The accused assailants were cornered, beaten to a pulp and their car set on fire after the youngster screamed for help.
“Officers from Thembisa responded, rescuing two of the men before the community turned on them too. The third man was saved by paramedics, who rushed him to Thembisa Hospital, where he later died from his injuries, while the other two were picked up by the ambulance at the Thembisa Police Station,” said Sookraj.
“No one came forward to the police to report the three men for robbery; thus, a case of assault GBH and murder was opened by the police.”
Sookraj reprimanded the community for taking the law into their own hands.
“This makes you criminals. If people do not report the cases, the police will have no choice but to release the alleged robbers because they cannot detain anyone without a case.
“Keep in mind that the police have a mandate to protect and serve the community, maintain law and order, prevent crime and investigate; therefore, protecting anyone’s life is a priority,” Sookraj stated.
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