Missing mom found dead
THE alleged killers of Mercisha Tedpaul, a Dundee mother who was found dead after she had been missing for four days, will be applying for bail later this month.
Tedpaul, 24, a stay-at-home mother, was allegedly strangled to death on a hill near a railway line in Watt Road on Friday.
Soon after police found her body, they arrested Sanjoth Madhan, 28, Manoj Madhan, 58, and Sarika Madhan, 47. The three appeared in the Dundee Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Natasha Kara, the spokesperson for the NPA in KwaZulu-Natal, said the case was adjourned to later this month for a formal bail application.
Tedpaul went missing on March 1 and was last seen at a shoe shop on Victoria Street in Dundee. When she did not return home, her boyfriend messaged her brother-in-law, Vishal Dookhi, and sister, Shristi Dookhi, asking if she was at their home.
The boyfriend was at home with Tedpaul’s daughters, aged 7 and 3.
“I told him she was not with us, and he said she had gone to town but
had not come back home,” said Vishal.
“This behaviour was out of character. I was afraid and contacted a community activist in my area, who advised that I open a missing person’s report at the police station.”
He said before going to the police he decided to check the hospital.
“I thought she might have been in an accident or fell sick but this was not the case. I filed the missing person’s report and the police began to search for her. As a family, we prayed for her safe return and tried to comfort her daughters. We circulated her picture and information on social media in the hope that someone saw her.”
Vishal said the police found her body on Friday at midday.
“The news just broke us. We had to tell her children that their mother is no more.
“They are now living with me and my wife. It is really difficult for them as small children to comprehend the gravity of the situation. We are trying to be strong for them but we are breaking up on the inside.”
He said Tedpaul was a jovial person who always wanted the best for her children.
“She wanted her children to live God-fearing lives. She tried her best to instil good values in them even though they were so young. We will do our best to fulfil what she wanted and keep her legacy alive.”
He said they had faith in the police and the justice system.
“We have started a Facebook page called ‘Justice for Mercisha Tedpaul’. There are too many women and even children who are being killed in our country. More needs to be done to protect them from vile people. These things are happening because people have lost their way and don’t pray anymore.”
Shristi said her sister had a tough childhood.
“I was 16 and she was 10 when our mother passed on. Our father, who died in October last year, did his best for us. I was like a mother figure to her. Right now, I don’t know how to react to all that has happened. I am the only one left from my family.”
Tedpaul was cremated at the Newcastle Crematorium on Tuesday.
Colonel Thembeka Mbele, a provincial police spokesperson, said: “We can confirm that three suspects, aged between 28 and 57, were arrested for murder.
“It is alleged that the victim was strangled to death by the suspects, who were later arrested. The motive for the killing is unknown.”