JOHANNESBURG - Eyewitness News learned on Wednesday that five men were arrested for a murder committed over 13 years ago.
Letters containing details and confessions of crimes were discovered beneath the carpet of a Kenilworth home.
The owner of the home where the letters were found was installing new carpets in the house to accommodate a tenant, when the discovery was made.
“We were so intrigued, standing there. We were sweating, you know, and I said don’t drip sweat on the papers because you’re going to damage them.”
He said it felt like he was starring in a movie.
“It said to the person he left this letter to, ‘by the time you read this I will probably be dead’.”
The new homeowner passed the information onto the police, who spent weeks piecing together the puzzle, tracing cold cases and finally pouncing on the suspects.
The letters were handed to authorities two months ago, while arrests were made only two days ago.
The arrests unearthed particulars of a gang responsible for numerous violent and daring abductions.
These crimes apparently at times also involved two brothers that served as policemen.
The gang is alleged to have killed a woman and buried her behind the house where the letters were found.
Later the gang was forced to break up the concrete grave to dump the victim’s body elsewhere.
It also appeared that they had tried to kill her previously, but failed.
The gang was then forced to falsify medical documents and hire a special van to kidnap her from hospital and finish the job.
Five sources close to the case have told Eyewitness News more arrests were expected.
Some of the suspects were also assumed to be residing overseas.
(Edited by Clare Matthes)
