A South African fugitive who faked his own death to avoid arrest, causing embarrassment for authorities, has been arrested in Tanzania, the South African government said this Saturday.
Thabo Bester, a convicted rapist and murderer, escaped from a private prison in Bloemfontein last May, but South African police only learned of his escape in March of this year.
South African Justice Minister Ronald Lamola said on Saturday that Thabo Bester was arrested in Tanzania on Friday evening.
“We confirm that the fugitive Thabo Bester and his accomplice Nandifa Maguduma, as well as a Mozambican citizen, have been arrested in Tanzania,” Lamola said at a press conference.
Prison authorities thought Bester had died after setting himself on fire behind bars, but in late March, police said DNA tests showed the charred body found in his cell was not his.
Nicknamed “the Facebook rapist”, Thabo Bester lured his victims through social media before raping and robbing them, with at least one victim killed. In 2012, he was sentenced to life in prison for rape, robbery and murder.
Police Minister Beki Sele said the three men were arrested in the northern Tanzania city of Arusha, close to the border with Kenya, as they tried to flee the country.
Suspicions about Bester’s death were first raised in November by local GroundUp media.
In March, police launched a new investigation into the murder after an autopsy revealed that a body found in Bester’s cell had died of a head injury before being set on fire. The identity of the body remains unknown.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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