Durban — A suspected hitman was among five people arrested a short while after the killing an elderly woman in a case of mistaken identity in KwaZulu-Natal.
Provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda, said that Pietermaritzburg Public Order Policing (POP) officers who were performing crime prevention duties on the N3 highway, arrested four suspected hitmen and a woman who allegedly ordered a hit on another woman on Sunday night.
“A 30-year-old woman reportedly hired hitmen to kill another woman whom she accused of having an affair with her boyfriend. The woman travelled with the four men to Ntabamhlophe where the hit was to be carried out. The report suggests that the suspects shot the mother of the intended victim in a case of mistaken identity. The 63-year-old woman was certified dead at the scene,” Netshiunda said.
“The suspects fled the scene and the POP police officers were alerted of the incident and intercepted the vehicle near the Mooi River Toll Plaza. The woman claimed to have asked for a lift from the four men, however, preliminary investigations confirmed that she was the owner of the vehicle.
“All five suspects were arrested and one of them had blood stains on his clothing. A firearm with three rounds of ammunition was found in the possession of the suspects,” Netshiunda continued.
He added that while at the crime scene, community members who chased the vehicle from Ntabamhlophe arrived and confirmed that the vehicle in which the suspects were travelling was seen leaving the murder scene, and they gave chase.
“One of the arrested suspects has already been identified as a hitman who has been on the police’s list of wanted suspects in connection with murder cases. The suspect, originally from the Maphumulo area, alternated residences between the KwaMashu Hostel and uMlazi,” Netshiunda said.
He said the five suspects, aged between 25 and 32 years old, will appear in court soon.
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