Durban man dies after threats
THE Hawks are investigating cases related to the murder of a prominent Durban businessman who received threatening messages demanding money in US dollars and Bitcoin from a person who called himself “The Cobra”.
Phillip Kekeliadis’s funeral took place last week. He was shot outside a Berea hospital in June and died on July 17.
The shooting took place less than a week after he appointed private investigator Brad Nathanson to look into threatening phone calls and messages he had been receiving.
In them, “The Cobra” demanded up to $300 000 (R3.9 million) or else Kekeliadis’s businesses would be burned down – along with him.
The 78-year-old was the owner of several furniture shops, two of which had been torched.
It is suspected that the perpetrator used a makeshift device similar to those that have been popping up around Durban.
The torching of the shops came after Kekeliadis received a message that read: “You have three days failing which it’s game over for you and your business.”
Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Malaudzi confirmed that they were investigating several cases leading up to and including Kekeliadis’s murder.
A relative and a friend recounted to the Mercury the sinister “Mafia-style” series of threats which started in August last year when an envelope was delivered to Kekeliadis at his Dr Pixley Seme (West) Street store.
Inside was a bullet and a letter demanding money.
“The person who handed it to a shop clerk had shielded himself from the CCTV cameras with a hat,” said the friend.
“He didn’t take it seriously. But we took it to the police and a case of intimidation was opened.”
They started to worry when staff at the Dr Pixley Seme and Umgeni stores arrived at work one September morning to find bullet holes in the shops’ front glass.
But the threats died down until April 14, when the Dr Pixley Seme Street store was burned down.
“He (Kekeliadis) was shocked, absolutely shocked,” said the friend.
The relative said the very next day, more calls and messages came in.
“He was old and never read SMSes so we don’t know if he had received any before. The ones we know of demanded money be paid into an account in Dubai, another one instructed to pay in Bitcoin or else they would burn all his businesses and him,” said the relative.
Two months later, another fire broke out at the Umgeni store, but this was doused by the sprinkler system.
A melted piece of PVC pipe attached to a cellphone – the device suspected to have caused the fire – was recovered.
Kekeliadis then received a call telling him there was a bomb in the shop.
“The police and bomb squad were called in; the store was cordoned off and a search was done, but the bomb was not found. But while police were here, a call came in demanding Phillip deposit the money otherwise even if he got the entire army no one could help him,” said the relative.
The relative said Kekeliadis had taken the matter seriously and reported each incident.
He hired Nathanson to get to the bottom of the matter but just four days later, he was shot while parking before his thrice-weekly dialysis appointment. “We believe the shooter was crouching, waiting for Phillip’s car to park. The perpetrator shot Phillip in the eye and chest and the bullets lodged in him, but those that missed went out through the back window.
“But why would you kill the person you are extorting? Nothing was taken, there are no indications that it was a robbery or a hijacking,” said Nathanson.
He said there were other business owners in Durban who had received similar calls and messages extorting money.