Killed brothers ‘part of car syndicate’
TWO brothers, whose decomposed bodies with bullet holes were found abandoned in Mpumalanga, are suspected to be part of a car theft syndicate.
They were buried in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe yesterday.
The bodies of Zimbabwean nationals Sydney and Admore Gwatsvaira were found on a plot between Delmas and Bronkhorstspruit. They had been shot and their hands and legs bound with rope.
The brothers went missing last month.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Leonard Hlathi confirmed that their bodies were found in the province. He said the case was transferred to the Gauteng police for further investigation because the pair went missing there.
Gauteng police spokesperson Brigadier Mathapelo Peters said a man was arrested for the kidnapping and was due to make his second appearance in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court this week.
She said the siblings’ disappearance was reported to the police on June 28.
Peters said: “The suspect was arrested on 4 July 2019 after a family member recognised a car belonging to one of the missing men being sold on social media and contacted the police. Further investigation is under way to determine whether the suspect arrested for kidnapping could also be behind the murder of the two victims.”
In interviews with ZimLive, friends said the brothers ran an elaborate internet-based vehicle theft ring.
They are believed to respond to internet adverts by individuals selling cars. They would express interest, then offer to pay through a bank transfer.
The seller would then receive a text confirmation of a payment purportedly from their bank, but it would turn out to be a scam.
According to a news report, the brothers pulled their last scam on a man advertising a Land Rover Discovery, which they then transported to Zambia. “It is said that the same seller placed another internet advert to lure the brothers. When they went to meet what they thought would be their next victim, they were trapped,” a friend said.
Ransom demands were made to their family. Their kidnappers also allegedly demanded their vehicle back, but the car was already in Zambia with new number plates, sources said.
The friend said: “Their contact in Zambia picked the phone a few times. After a couple of days, he stopped picking their calls and maybe that’s what sealed their fate.”