JERUSALEM – Local police are pleading with the community not to take the law into their own hands as this could interfere with the investigation of cases.

This concern surfaced when residents burnt down a murder suspect’s house after a 28-year-old man was found dead with his eyes gouged out near Come Duze shop on Sunday afternoon.

Police say the victim and the suspect were earlier involved in a scuffle when he tried to intervene when the suspect was beating up his wife.

“According to a witness, the two had a fight and the victim was later found at the scene with a deep wound to the head and his eyes scraped out,” said Const Naniki Nonyane.

She added that the residents went to the suspect’s house where they claimed to have found eyes believed to be those of the victim.

“Upon arrival, the angry mob set the suspect’s house alight when they couldn’t find him.

He is still at large and we urge anyone with any information to come forward,” added Nonyane.

She emphasised that tampering with evidence was a criminal offence and residents should refrain from taking the law into their own hands.

“In this case, if there was some kind of evidence that could assist in apprehending the suspect, it was all destroyed when they burnt the house,” Nonyane explained.

However, community members say that waiting for evidence before dealing with a culprit is a waste of time and they are tired of criminals traumatising communities.

“We understand the police’s concern, but waiting for the law to take its course, sometimes drags on and criminals continue to haunt us and it hurts us to see them walking free on our streets.

Sometimes we just have to act,” said one of residents of Mshadza Village.

A murder case has been opened and the suspect is still at large.