LENNOXTON – The Newcastle Advertiser played an integral part in the arrest of a murder suspect.
Related article: Brutal murder leaves residents reeling
Last week, a murder of a 25-year-old man was reported at the Amanath Shopping Centre where two men accosted the victim and his friend on their return from the centre.
It was understood, the man was hit over the head with a steel pipe by one of the attackers and robbed of his cellphone.
With the assistance of his surviving friend, one suspect was arrested in Fairleigh on the night of the incident by Newcastle Detectives, while the other was still at large.
Police appealed to the community for their assistance in the whereabouts of the second murder suspect via an article that was printed in the Newcastle Advertiser last week.
According to police, a Newcastle member purchased a copy of the Newcastle Advertiser, and then left to Gauteng.
On his way the community member made a stop at Standerton petrol station, while refuelling his car he decided to read the newspaper and noticed the article about the murder.
The community member recognised the suspect sitting in front of the shop at the petrol station. He immediately contacted the investigating officer, H.S Sibiya using the information in the newspaper.
Also read: UPDATE – Murder suspect nabbed by police
Standerton SAPS arrested the suspect and he appeared in the Newcastle Magistrate Court on Monday, September 26.
“Without the community’s help we would not have arrested the suspect, as he fled from Newcastle,” said SAPS Communication Liaison and marketing officer, Lizzy Arumugam.
SAPS would like to thank the community for their assistance which led to the arrest of the suspect.
