A suspect in the 2022 rape of a teen girl has been arrested after police reopened the case through court testimony.
The suspect in the 2022 Virginia rape and kidnapping case of a teen girl has been arrested after the victim testified in an unrelated Bloemfontein court case.
The South African Police Service (Saps) Free State Serial and Electronic Crime Investigations (Seci) unit successfully traced and arrested a 32-year-old suspect. The man is linked to a 2022 rape and kidnapping case.
In May 2022, a 15-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped and raped by a male known to her as her father’s friend in Meloding, Virginia, in the Free State.
Teen girl allegedly raped by dad’s friend in 2022
“The suspect allegedly approached the victim at her home while she was alone, under the pretence of checking on her,” the Free State police said on Thursday.
“Later that evening, he reportedly followed her to a nearby shop, forcibly dragged her to an open field, and allegedly raped her multiple times under threat of violence.”
The teen reported the traumatic incident to the police, but they made no arrests at the time.
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The case remained unsolved until July 2025. Constable Mosiuwa Ntholeng from the Provincial SECI unit came across the case while the victim was testifying in an unrelated matter at the Bloemfontein Regional Court.
However, police said they later identified and profiled the suspect through diligent follow-up work.
The suspect’s modus operandi also revealed that he was connected to a 2024 rape case in Meloding that the Thabong Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences (FCS) unit was looking into.
Suspect also connected to 2024 rape case
The 32-year-old suspect appeared at the Virginia Magistrate’s Court on 6 August for the 2024 matter.
During the court appearance, he was formally arrested and charged in connection with the 2022 case as well.
The case was postponed, and the court remanded the suspect in custody until his next court appearance on 21 August in the same court.
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