Senior Hawks Officer Kidnapping and Murder: Four Suspects Arrested

Four individuals have been arrested in connection with the kidnapping and murder of a Hawks officer, Lieutenant Colonel Sikhetho Mawila, a high-ranking officer associated with the South African Police Services’ Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation.

IOL reports that Lieutenant Colonel Mawila, attached to the Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit in Durban, was allegedly confronted by the suspects while returning to the city for work. The unfolding events took a grim turn after Mawila, who had informed his family about a brief petrol stop, failed to be reached by his concerned relatives.

A passer-by stumbled upon Mawila’s lifeless body. A subsequent investigation led to the identification of the deceased by his family. Authorities initiated a case encompassing charges of murder, kidnapping, and hijacking at the Hlanganani police station.

Also read: Local Magistrate’s Court Hosts Appearance of Murder Accused

Colonel Philani Nkwalase, the spokesperson for the Hawks, said the suspects, aged between 23 and 44, were apprehended during a collaborative operation. The arrest involved the East Rand Serious Organised Crime Investigation team of the Hawks, the Gauteng Traffic’s Special Law Enforcement Unit, and the Ekurhuleni Metro Police’s Saturation Task Team. Officers seized various items, including:

• a cell phone, 
• the deceased officer’s laptop, 
• a service pistol with live ammunition and 
• the burnt hijacked vehicle.

The suspects will appear in the Tsakane Magistrate’s Court on Friday. Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, the National Head of the Hawks, praised the collaborative efforts of the law enforcement agencies.

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Picture: X / insightfactor

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