R20 000 for the hit
Eagle-eyed detectives find house keys linked to the crime
ALVIN Singh’s lifeless body was found sprawled on a bedroom floor in his Chatsworth home last week.
He had been strangled. This week in a dramatic turn of events, his wife was arrested and charged for allegedly masterminding his killing.
Pathma Singh, 47, and Nkosinathi Bheki Ndlovu, 45, were charged with murder and appeared in the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
They were remanded to Westville Prison for the next seven days before they make their next court appearance.
According to police sources, Ndlovu was the boyfriend of Singh’s domestic worker and was allegedly recruited to murder her husband. She had promised to pay him R20 000 for the hit.
But Singh had not planned on eagle-eyed Chatsworth detectives making the link. They swooped on Ndlovu at his home in Umlazi where they found numerous pieces of evidence linking him to the crime including a set of house keys that he used to gain entry to Singh’s home.
Sources close to the investigation said that the house was equipped with CCTV cameras but the recording device for the camera system was missing.
On the day of the murder, Singh left her home to stay over at her daughter’s home as she usually did on some weekends.
She had hitched a lift with a neighbour while her husband remained at home.
Last week POST reported that neighbours had heard what sounded like a struggle.
They alerted police when they saw Singh’s doors opened. The popular Chatsworth businessman was found dead on a bedroom floor. His wallet and car keys were missing but there were no signs of forced entry, fuelling suspicion that he could have known his killer.
Singh’s son, Ryan, said his family was shocked by the arrests. “We cannot believe it. It is a very traumatic time for the family right now. It is shocking. The police will have to do what they have to do. It’s all in their hands now,” said Ryan.
He added that the family was coping with the developments. “We are trying to deal with it. I really don’t want to have anything to do with this,” he said.
Ryan added that he had not spoken to his mother since the arrest. At the time of his father’s death, Ryan said that he would be doing everything in his power to ensure that his father’s killers were brought to book.
Chatsworth Community Policing Forum chairperson Logan Chetty praised the SAPS for making a breakthrough in the case.
“It’s excellent police work. It will send a clear message to criminals that crime does not pay. We hope that the investigation will be finalised soon,” said Chetty. Police confirmed the arrests. “We can confirm that two suspects aged 45 and 47 were arrested for murder and appeared in court. The case was remanded for further investigation,” said police spokesperson Captain Thulani Zwane.
Singh and Ndlovu will appear in court again on July 15.