Police probe nationality of suspect held over Ekurhuleni woman’s murder - TimesLIVE
Police are working with the department of home affairs and state security agencies to establish the identity and nationality of a suspect arrested in connection with one of a series of killings of women in Ekurhuleni.
Deputy national police commissioner Lt-Gen Tebello Mosikili said on Thursday that preliminary information suggested a suspect arrested in connection with a July murder was a foreigner, but police were still verifying his identity.
Mosikili was speaking to the media in Dawn Park, Boksburg, after the body of another woman was discovered, bringing to nine the number of women’s bodies found in Ekurhuleni in recent weeks.
She said investigators were obtaining the suspect’s fingerprints from police and correctional services records to establish his identity and background.
“We cannot say, yes, he’s a non-South African, but we have been informed that he’s a non-South African. But from which country? That is what we are going to establish later today,” she said.
Mosikili said she had been in contact with the director-general of home affairs since Wednesday night, and had also engaged state security officials as investigators sought more information.
Police are investigating whether the suspect could be connected to any of the other cases. Authorities have not yet established if all the recent killings of women in Ekurhuleni are linked.
The discovery of a ninth body was made on Thursday in Dawn Park. The partially naked woman, wrapped in a sheet, was found on the side of the road.
Her identity and the circumstances surrounding her death have yet to be publicly confirmed.
Mosikili said intelligence gathered by officers on the ground was directing police deployments across the affected areas.
“We have Operation Shanela every week that is being undertaken. With intelligence operatives on the ground, they should be in a position to migrate operations. Remember, we are saying now we have three different areas,” she said.
Mosikili said the apparent absence of uniformed officers in some areas did not mean police were not working the cases.
“The intelligence operatives have not slept. I’m told the other team had to drive from one block to another. So when you don’t see us, it’s because of the direction and areas the intelligence operatives guide us to,” she said.
She vowed that investigators would continue working around the clock. “My colleagues will not sleep for as long as there is work to be done. And that is the promise that we gave to the nation on Tuesday when the minister made the declaration. We are going to keep that promise,” said Mosikili.
