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Cele visits Sadia Sukhraj’s family

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The third suspect wanted in connection with Monday’s hijacking incident at Chatsworth south of Durban in which a 9-year-old girl was fatally wounded, has been identified.

Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, who visited the family of Sadia Sukhraj in the area on Thursday reassured the public that the suspect would be nabbed soon.

Sukhraj was in her father’s car when three suspects accosted him – and hijacked the vehicle. A shootout ensued.

She died of gunshot wounds to the abdomen.

One suspect was arrested, the other managed to flee the scene while the other died on scene after allegedly being attacked by angry community members.

The wanted suspect has been described as a well-known criminal who had faced, and been convicted on, a list of charges – including hijacking.

Speaking outside the Sukraj home, Cele said police were working hard to locate the suspect.

“Out of three we are chasing one now. We have identified the criminal. We just have to go and pick him up. Even if we arrest them all or they get the life sentences I hope they will stay very long in prison. They have a string of criminal records; the people that are involved here. Some of them are supposed to be in prison, especially this one that we have arrested. We don’t know how they get paroles and those kind of things.”

Cele also addressed community members at the Chatsworth Community Hall. He called on them to work with police to fight crime in the area.

“We will try hard to repair relationships between the police and the community. We can’t allow that kind of conflict. Criminals will, without fail, use that space where there is a gap between police and community. I have spoken to police at the station, and I’m speaking to the community, but we will be putting some programs of working together of these two entities going forward.”

Sukhraj’s death has sparked anger in the community. People say they have had enough of the escalating crime in their area. The community called for more police members to be deployed. They also accused the police of using excessive force against protestors on the day Sadia died.

“We are very angry about what is taking place. It’s unreal. You are going to be attacked in your house and you can’t retaliate and shoot someone that’s coming to attack your family does that makes sense. – We are no longer safe we can’t even be safe in our own yards children can no longer play outside we can’t even take a walk .”

The community has handed over a memorandum of grievances to Cele and has given him 14 days to respond.

 

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