Abducted pair may be dead: police

Couple ‘became hunt target’

‘WHEN the brothers in Kenya go out and do this work, it is very important that the body of the victim is never found and it remains a missing person case.”

This chilling statement was found on the phone of one of two Islamic State (IS) suspects arrested for the February 10 kidnapping, assault and robbery of Rod and Rachel Saunders near a remote KZN forest. It has led police investigators to believe the Cape Town-based British botanists are no longer alive.

The death sentence was one of several messages recorded in an affidavit handed up by the investigating officer during the Verulam Magistrate’s Court bail application hearing of IS suspects Fatima Patel, 27, and Sayfydeen Aslam Del Vecchio, 38, who were arrested on February 15.

The couple, married by traditional Islamic law, also face charges under the Terrorism and Related Activities Act. They appeared alongside close associate Thembamandla Xulu, 19, arrested on similar charges on February 26 after he was found in possession of the Saunders’s cellphones.

Police are hunting for a fourth suspect, Ahmad Jackson Mussa, a Malawian known as “Bazooka” who they believe can lead them to the bodies of the couple. His passport was found in Patel and Del Vecchio’s home on the western outskirts of Ngoye Forest Reserve.

Other messages sent between Patel, Del Vecchio and Bazooka on Telegram, an encrypted smartphone chat application, indicate that the Saunders couple had headed towards the wrong place at the wrong time.

On February 8, the couple wrapped up shooting footage in the Drakensberg for the Gardeners’ World alongside award-winning TV presenter and horticulturist Nick Bailey.

Following the strong recommendation of Big Banana Films producer Robin Matthews, who facilitated the shoot, the Saunders were enthusiastically heading south for Ngoye Forest Reserve via Bivane Dam, where they planned to camp.

Convinced

Matthews knew the forest well and was convinced the intrepid indigenous plant and seed hunters, who own Kenilworth-based Silverhill Seeds, would love the botanical paradise.

The next day, February 9, Rachel sent a WhatsApp photo of a rare gladiolus they had discovered at Bivane to Matthews. That is the last he heard from his new friends.

On that same day Patel, Del Vecchio and Bazooka discussed preparing to kill the “kuffar” and abduct their allies, to destroy infrastructure and to put fear in the heart of the “kuffar”.

“Kuffar” is a derogatory Arabic term referring to non-Muslims.

On February 10, the Saunders couple were minding their own business hunting for rarities on the fringes of Ngoye, oblivious that they were the hunted kuffar.

According to the police affidavit, Del Vecchio messaged Patel and Bazooka on February 10 “that there is an elderly couple in the forest, that it is a ‘good hunt’ and that they had equipment”.

The conversation continued between the accused in a similar manner and later Accused 2 (Del Vecchio) confirmed that he “had the target”.

The affidavit, filed by Detective Warrant Officer Anuresh Lutchman of the Crimes Against the State Unit within the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks), does not reveal any more messages relating to the kidnapping or the couple’s ultimate demise.

But reading between the lines, it appears that the Saunders couple were snatched on February 10 and quickly yielded their pin numbers and cards.

The affidavit lists evidence that between February 10 and 14, Patel and Del Vecchio used Rachel’s FNB card to withdraw thousands of rand from Durban ATMs and make purchases from Cape Union Mart.

Other sources say the total stolen was more than R700 000 and that the spending led to the eventual arrest of Patel and Del Vecchio on February 15.

The affidavit also hinted that Patel and Del Vecchio had been on a terror watch list and kept under surveillance. “In November 2016, I was informed that Accused 2 (Del Vecchio) is suspected to have links with a terror organisation and that he is married to Accused 1 (Patel),” says Lutchman.

The police are appealing to the public to help in their manhunt for Bazooka. Tip-offs can be provided anonymously on 086010111, by SMS to crime line 32211 or to Colonel Flynn on 079 886 6792.