Johannesburg - The burnt corpse found inside a torched car in Krugersdorp at the weekend has been identified.
A man believed to be the woman's boyfriend has since been arrested.
“A 37-year-old male who is allegedly the boyfriend of the victim was arrested,” West Rand police spokeswoman Constable Gloria Maswanganye said on Monday. The suspect was from Mabopane in Tshwane.
She was, however, unable to say where the woman, who was burnt beyond recognition on Saturday, was from. The motive for the attack was still under investigation.
The woman’s body was found in a burnt-out Opel Corsa hatchback in the veld near a railway line.
“Krugersdorp SAPS are investigating a case of murder which happened in the early hours of Saturday in the bush next to the railway line crossing Monument Road, towards the R28 Randfontein road.”
Maswanganye said police believed the body and car were set alight earlier in the day.
She said a tracker company helped police make the discovery. This was as they notified authorities that the car’s battery was suspected of being tampered with.
She said the police were appealing to the community to come forward with any information that might shed light on the incident.
The West Rand has been a site of several murders this year. This included insurance brokers Anthony Scholefield and Kevin McAlpine.
Scholefield’s body was found stuffed in the boot of his car, and he appeared to have been strangled. McAlpine was found dead in the boot of his car just days after Scholefield.
Estate agent Hanlie Late-gan’s body was found in the veld in Krugersdorp. She went missing after apparently going to meet clients. Four people, including an 18-year-old girl, have since appeared in the Krugersdorp Magistrate’s Court in connection with the murders.
Community policing forum spokesman Pieter Sparks told The Star that the murders had shocked the community.
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The Star