REPORTER
AN alleged social media scammer and rapist (33) was fatally shot by police in Mbutho in Tsolo last Friday, January 16.
Police were led to the suspect after following up on a case of abduction of a young woman (24) from Libode. She was allegedly lured by the suspect into a love affair through social media.
The victim met the suspect in Mthatha on January 15 and proceeded to Tsolo, in a taxi.
While walking towards the rural village of Mbutho, the suspect threatened the victim with a knife and raped her in an open field.
The woman was also raped for the second time in Mbutho. She reported the incident to her family, and police were alerted.
Police spokesperson Captain Welile Matyolo said that police traced the whereabouts of the suspect and found him.
“The suspect threatened police with a knife and was shot. He succumbed to his injuries,” said Matyolo.
He further said that preliminary investigations revealed that three women aged between 25 and 29 years old were reported missing at Tsolo police station from December 24 to January 15.
The women were all found dead in an open field.
Matyolo said that police are trying to establish the link between their deaths and the suspect through his cellphone records.
Police OR Tambo district commissioner Major General Norman Modishana has warned everyone to be extra careful when dealing with social media networks, as people are often scammed.
He urged the investigating teams to identify if there were any direct linkages between the deceased’s victims and the suspect to ensure closure for all affected families.
An inquest docket was launched with charges ranging from rape, abduction and resisting arrest to an attack on police, whilst further investigation has been handed over to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, concluded Matyolo.
