A 30 year-old Ethopian national Thomas Tamerat Iban was on 3 May 2012 lured by an alleged customer to Mahehle Location, in Creighton, where he would collect money owed to him using his private vehicle, a Toyota Corolla. He was never seen after his trip and Creighton police began investigating his mysterious disappearance.
Iban’s vehicle was later found by the police abandoned in Donnybrook and preliminary police investigations established that at least four suspects were implicated in his kidnapping and robbery of his vehicle. The police still had very limited leads in tracing the whereabouts of Iban and his kidnappers.
On Saturday, 12 May 2012, at about 21h00, Creighton Police Station officers led by Captain Zandile Nguse sourced information on the whereabouts of suspects implicated in Iban’s disappearance. The officers including detectives executed a well planned operation on the suspect’s residence in Wosana City, Creighton and arrested him. The 25 year-old suspect volunteered to point out the spot where Iban’s body was and they were taken to a local plantation where the body of Iban was found bound.
Further police investigation led to the arrest of two more suspects who were detained at Umlazi Police Station for stock theft. The two were positively linked to Iban’s kidnapping, robbery of his vehicle and murder. The police are confident that the last suspect, despite still being on the run, will be arrested soon.
The three suspects will be charged with kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances and murder. They will appear in Ixopo Magistrates’ Court soon.
For more information please contact:
Lieutenant Colonel Vincent Mdunge
Cell: 079 525 8062
Police arrest 3 hijackers who lead police to their victim’s body
