Pretoria -
A man who was arrested for rape on Wednesday committed suicide inside the holding cells of the Hercules police station in Pretoria, hours after his incarceration.
Police spokeswoman Sergeant Obakeng Mabaso said that police arrested the man at around 11am on Wednesday.
“As per normal procedure, his belt and shoelaces were taken off and he was placed in a cell while police continued with their paperwork.”
When police again returned to the cell the man, believed to be in his late twenties, was hanging from the ceiling by his pants.
Best Care Ambulance services spokesman Xander Loubsher said they arrived at the scene and declared the man dead at 3.30pm on Wednesday.
“The man was already dead on our arrival. It was the first time in my life I saw someone kill themselves in that manner,” Loubsher said.
Mabaso said the matter was handed over to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate for investigation.
Pretoria News