Missing son found dead
FOR weeks, octogenarian Rajnee Deepchand sat at her door hopeful that her son, who is mentally ill, would return to their Newlands West home. But it was not to be. After an extensive search by the Newlands SAPS, Vishnu Deepchand was found dead with multiple stab wounds to his body.
The 54-year-old was reported missing on January 20 by his brother Vijay.
“My brother suffered with a condition called weak nerves and although he was in good health and able to do certain things on his own, the condition affected his brain. Our mother, even at the age of 80, was his care-giver.”
Vijay said that on January 18, after having his breakfast, his brother left home to go to a shopping centre, which is about a seven-minute walk away.
“Vishnu was well-known in the community and at the centre. He went there regularly to buy things from the shop and to have his hair cut. When he failed to return home my mother contacted me and I went to the mall to search for him.”
When Vijay arrived at the centre he found his brother but he refused to come home with him.
“He was upset about something and when I told him to come home he started getting angry. When my brother gets angry he becomes violent so I decided to back off.”
When his brother failed to return home that Thursday, Vijay went in search of him again.
“A car guard who knows my brother told me I had just missed him. On Friday after work I went back to search for him but could not find him and no one knew where he had gone,” he said.
Vijay said he became worried and filed a missing persons report at the Newlands SAPS.
“From January 22 till the 31st the police, my family and I spent time searching for him. We posted his picture on Facebook and other social media. The Sunday before his body was found someone told me he was at the Shoprite in Newlands but when we got there, he was gone.”
He said police found Vishnu’s body on Tuesday.
“We were called to the scene and I identified his body. It was the hardest thing I had to do. My mother does not know how he died; she thinks it is natural causes and we did not want to tell her.”
While Vijay thanked everyone for their help, he appealed to the community to come forward with information that could assist with the investigations.
Police spokesman LieutenantColonel Thulani Zwane confirmed a missing persons report had been opened at the Newlands SAPS.
“The victim was found with multiple stab wounds on his body and a case of murder is now being investigated.”