A NEWLANDS West man who lured his wife to Winklespruit, where he had arranged for her to be killed in 2024, was sentenced to a 25-year prison sentence by the Umbumbulu Magistrate’s Court on March 6.

Also read: Man arrested in township after high-speed chase

Ramith Aneerudh (38) pleaded guilty to attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances and theft.

The court heard that on March 13, 2024, Aneerudh drove from Durban with his wife, Sarika Bridgmohan, to a secluded area in Winklespruit under the pretext of collecting documents from an attorney. Upon arrival, two accomplices, Deon Tyler Naidu and Kyle Goldstone, confronted Bridgmohan and allegedly strangled her with a rope before placing her into another vehicle. Believing she was dead after she lost consciousness, the suspects drove towards Ifafa on the Lower South Coast, where they intended to dispose of her body. Bridgmohan regained consciousness, jumped from the moving vehicle, and flagged down passing motorists, who assisted her.

Fearing for her life, Bridgmohan contacted Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) a month later, requesting assistance to locate the suspects as she believed that another attempt on her life would be made.

In a statement, Rusa said its officers launched an investigation and recovered Bridgmohan’s White GWM vehicle in Umzinto on April 15, 2024. Rusa stated that it had received information that the suspects had fled KwaZulu-Natal.

Also read: Winklespruit murder case moved to Chatsworth

“Officers travelled about 560km to Coffee Bay in the Eastern Cape, where they kept observation over a home on the side of a mountain. Information was received that the suspects would immediately end their lives before being arrested by Rusa officers. They were reportedly in possession of weapons, a rope that they would use to commit suicide,” read the statement.

In the afternoon of April 16, 2024, officers located Aneerudh and his two accomplices hiding in a house in Coffee Bay and arrested them. A woman who had used her vehicle to assist the three men in fleeing the province was also arrested. A fourth suspect was later arrested by the police in Umzinto a week later.

Cases against the remaining accused are expected to continue separately.

Do you have more information pertaining to this story? Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist.