Mongezi Koko8 September 2024 | 12:31

Gauteng police open murder cases after 3 suspected Sebokeng criminals set alight

The trio died in the early hours of Sunday morning after they were allegedly assaulted and then doused with flammable liquid by enraged community members.

Gauteng police open murder cases after 3 suspected Sebokeng criminals set alight

Picture: X/SAPoliceService

JOHANNESBURG - Gauteng police have opened a case of three counts of murder after three suspected male criminals were set alight in Sebokeng, south of Johannesburg.

The trio died in the early hours of Sunday morning after they were allegedly assaulted and then doused with flammable liquid by enraged community members.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the trio was suspected of robbing and killing a 29-year-old male who lived in the same neighbourhood.

After the horrific ordeal, the community began a relentless search for the suspects.

The police’s Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo said the residents discovered the alleged culprits hiding inside a container.

"The community was mobilised and went searching for the suspects. They found them hiding inside a container and took them to Sebokeng Zone-12, where they assaulted and burned them. All three vigilantism victims were certified dead on the scene. Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni has strongly condemned this act of vigilantism."