A 55-year-old shop owner in Qumbu, Eastern Cape, was brutally murdered at his premises at the weekend, but the wheels of justice appear to be turning swiftly in this case, with two suspects arrested and an AK 47 rifle confiscated this week.
Members of the community became suspicious when the victim’s shop was not open for a whole day and upon investigation, the owner’s dead body was found lying in a pool of blood in the shop.
When police arrived at the scene, they found empty AK 47 cartridges next to the deceased man’s body.
An investigation ensued, led by Qumbu detectives and backed up by Stock Theft Unit members from the area.
Their joint effort led to the arrest of two male suspects, aged 19 and 24, both from the same area. Upon making the arrests, police also recovered an AK 47 automatic rifle without ammunition, which is assumed to be the murder weapon.
The rifle has been sent in for ballistic testing to determine if it can be linked to the aforementioned crime, and possibly other crimes, police said.
“The motive for the gruesome murder of the deceased forms part of the ongoing investigation, and the duo will appear in the Qumbu magistrate court on a murder charge on Friday, 27 December 2024,” the South African Police Service (SAPS) said in a statement issued on Thursday.
Major General Norman Modishana, who is the District Commissioner for the OR Tambo municipality, commended the detectives for their dedication and efforts to solve the murder case speedily, and for recovering a firearm that could have been used in other serious crimes.
IOL