A 77-year-old Pakistani man was stabbed and beaten to death on Monday after a domestic worker allegedly allowed four robbers into the house he was staying at in Randhart, Alberton.
Shah Deen Muhammad was allegedly stabbed and beaten with a hammer after he told the four men that he didn’t have the keys to the safe.
His 72-year-old wife was stabbed in the hand and his 27-year-old daughter was throttled. Both were taken to the Natalspruit Hospital.
Police said the suspects, who included three men and a woman, used hammers and screwdrivers to force open the safe.
They took an undisclosed amount of money, jewellery – including gold – and cellphones.
Alberton police station spokesman Captain George Raphulu said the incident took place at about 10am.
“A domestic worker, who appears to have been involved, opened the gate for three men and a lady,” said Raphulu.
The robbers had rope, hammers and screwdrivers. They tied up the two women.
After killing Muhammad, all five suspects fled, said Raphulu. “No one saw a getaway car.”
Malik Muhammad, Shah Deen’s son, said relatives realised something was wrong when no one came to open the gate.
“After waiting for 30 minutes, they had to jump over the wall when no one came to open the gate,” he said.
Inside they heard crying. They broke open the toilet door and found my mother and sister tied up,” said Muhammad.
On Monday afternoon, a large number of Pakistani nationals gathered at the house as an SAPS forensic team worked at collecting fingerprints.
They also found and bagged a bloody hammer that the criminals had allegedly left at the crime scene.
Muhammad said his father was visiting SA and had been here only a couple of months.
Two of his sons were in SA, he said, while the other two were in Pakistan.