Cops on the hunt for three rape suspects

THE KIMBERLEY police have called for the assistance of community members in the search for three suspects who are wanted in connection with a number of unrelated rape cases in the city.

Members of the Frances Baard Cluster Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) unit are looking for three men who have been accused of rape in Kimberley and Galeshewe.

In the first case, a man, believed to be in his twenties, is being sought in connection with a rape committed on July 13 this year.

“At about 11pm near Langbome on the R31, a 26-year-old woman was attacked while with her boyfriend. They were sitting in a white Opel Corsa hatchback when an unknown man approached their car and pelted it with stones, removed her boyfriend from the car and locked him in the boot.

“He then took the woman out the car and raped her. After the incident, the suspect robbed them of their belongings, which included an undisclosed amount of money, cellphones and a car radio system,” police spokesperson, Captain Olebogeng Tawana, said yesterday.

During the second incident, a 25-year old woman was attacked by an unknown man, who hit her with an unknown object over the head on May 6 2018.

“The victim was walking alone from a local tavern in Greenpoint, Kimberley, when she was hit on the head. She fainted and when she woke up later she was half naked and at the Greenpoint cemetery. She noticed a man standing next to her and he demanded her cellphone PIN code. The suspect assaulted her until she disclosed the code. The suspect unpinned her cellphone and ran away,” Tawana said.

The third incident occurred on August 19 at around 1am.

“According to a 22-year-old woman she was visited by a man, whom she met through Facebook. On the same day that they met, the woman drove with the man to a secluded area. An unknown man approached their vehicle, forced the Facebook friend into the back seat of the car and tied his hands and feet.

“The suspect then forced the woman into the boot of the car and raped her.

“The suspect robbed them of their cellphones and an undisclosed amount in cash.

“The suspect drove them to Christiana in the North West where he dropped them off.

“The two hitched a lift with a truck driver from Christiana to Kimberley and the Facebook friend disappeared after their arrival in the city,” Tawana said.

Tawana requested any person with information that can assist police with these cases to contact the investigating officers – Detective Sergeant Attie Browers on 067 022 5141 and Detective Constable Juanita Lekay on 082 290 0069.